


Say You'll Stay With Me

by Dandy



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Face-Sitting, M/M, Rimming, Sex Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-01-27 12:57:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21392542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dandy/pseuds/Dandy
Summary: Noctis, on a diplomatic mission to Niflheim for his father, needs a date for appearances at business dinners and parties. Prompto, a sex worker on the streets of Gralea, needs money to save his friend's boarding house.This is just a business deal. There's no way anything more could develop between them.Right?(A NoctProm Pretty Woman AU for the kinkmeme.)
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 31
Kudos: 152





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For this oldass prompt: https://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/841.html?thread=130633#cmt130633
> 
> This is set in an AU where there was no prophecy and no wedding for Noctis and Luna, and the war between Niflheim and Lucis reached a more or less peaceful conclusion following the death of Emperor Aldercapt. Regis is still alive (yay) but probably won't actually appear in this fic. And obviously, Prompto was never taken to Insomnia as a baby but grew up in Niflheim instead.
> 
> I intend to follow the basic trajectory of the Pretty Woman movie until I don't anymore. I don't want to give anything else way though. :) Not sure how many chapters this will have but probably around 7-8.
> 
> Also, a sidenote: I treat gil in FFXV like the Japanese yen, so you understand what monetary amounts are being thrown around here.

Noctis Lucis Caelum hated parties.

Or more specifically, he hated _this_ sort of party - the kind where a bunch of pompous nobles, dry businessmen, and flighty socialites gathered to sip cocktails and congratulate each other on their successes in life, real or imagined, all while wearing stiff suits and listening to dull music. In fact, he felt any etymologist would argue against calling this sort of gathering a party at all.

He didn’t mind coming to Niflheim to hash out trade agreements on his father’s behalf, but he wished he could be free after the meetings instead of stuck here. But Ignis insisted he make an appearance, and Ignis was better at managing his public image than he ever had been, so here he was, sipping an adequately mixed whiskey sour and wishing he was back in his hotel room doing anything else.

“Ah, there you are. I knew you would be sulking around here somewhere.”

The smooth voice and light touch on his arm heralded the arrival of Noctis’s one silver lining in this place: his friend Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, dressed in a white dinner gown, edges of a playful smile peeking over the rim of her champagne flute.

“I used up all my fake pleasantness during the meeting,” he muttered in reply, taking another sip of his drink to punctuate it. Things hadn’t been going well, to say the least - after hours of negotiation, they were no closer to a trade agreement than they had been at the start. What had started as a planned four day stay in Gralea was looking like it would be extended by another week, at least.

“Yes, I’m sure you were just oozing charm.”

She grinned as he swatted at her arm in mock anger. “Careful. Ignis will be very displeased if you start an international incident.”

“I’m going to if I have to stay cooped up in here for much longer.” Noctis drained the last of his drink, glaring out into the crowd.

“Then why are you still here?” He glared at her from the corner of his eye. “Ignis thought it would be a good idea, I take it.”

“Yep.”

“You’ve made your appearance.” Luna shrugged, leaning casually against the wall. Her fingers played with the stem of her champagne flute. “Why don’t you get out of here? Take a drive, find a distraction, clear your head. It would probably help you tomorrow.”

He scoffed. “I’d love to, but Ignis would definitely kill me.”

“The prince who is afraid of his advisor.” Luna laughed. “I’ll keep him busy.”

The offer was too tempting to pass up. Noctis turned to Luna, giving her a deep bow that made her laugh again. “Lady Lunafreya, you are truly an oracle most kind.”

“Yes, yes.” She straightened up, scanning the crowd for Ignis. “Just get out of here before someone sees you.”

“I’ll have a ballad written in your honor,” he tossed over his shoulder in parting, and then he was off, slipping into the crowd with his head down on his way to the exit sign.

Soon he would be in the Regalia, and then at the hotel, far, far away from this damn party.

* * *

At least, that was the plan.

Unfortunately, Gralea was a hellhole of a city, with road construction happening on seemingly every street. The GPS on his phone was being no help - he was sure he’d taken the same turns and passed the same buildings four times now.

“Which detour is going to get me back to Fulgurian Plaza?” he snapped at no one in particular, pulling the car over to the side and jamming his phone’s touch screen with his thumb. His maps app seemed just as confused by the detours as he was, though, and he dropped it onto the console with a groan, slumping against the steering wheel. So much for going back to the hotel for a nap…

A knock on his window interrupted his self-pitying thoughts, and he looked up to see a young man around his age peering inside. He was wearing a very loose-fitting tank top and, from what Noctis could see, almost scandalously tight pants. Blonde hair framed his face in a well-styled swoop. When their eyes met, he grinned, waving his hand at Noctis.

Noctis knew it was dangerous - even if Lucis and Niflheim were at peace now, he was still royalty driving around in what looked like a shady part of town - but he was going to be stuck here all night if he didn’t get help soon, and the guy looked so scrawny, Noctis felt fairly sure he could take him.

So he rolled down the window, grabbing his phone and priming it to dial Ignis, just in case.

“Can I help you?”

“Uh, actually, I was wondering if _I_ could help _you_.” The man scratched at his nose bashfully, and Noctis noticed that his eyes were a beautiful shade of blue. “You seem a little lost.”

Noctis cringed. “Was it the Lucian license plates that gave it away?”

“Thaaat, and you’ve driven past here like, five times.”

“Were you keeping count?”

“Hard not to notice such a nice car.” The man’s eyes roved over the interior, alight with amazement. “That’s why I thought you probably didn’t mean to be in this part of town, anyway.” A pause, and then his eyes rose to meet Noctis’s again. “I mean, unless you’re down here to pick someone up?”

Pick someone up? Noctis stared at him for a moment, uncomprehending. Apparently mistaking his confusion for something else, the man continued.

“My rates are pretty good, if you’re interested.” When Noctis didn’t respond, he hastily added, “Or, if girls are more your speed, I know some really great ones who work this block. I can grab one of ‘em if you want?”

_Oh._ Noctis felt his cheeks heat up as realization dawned. This man was a hooker. It was so obvious now, he could just kick himself.

“Uh, no. I mean, that’s not what I was…” He trailed off, a little embarrassed. Time for a subject change. “I really just need directions back to Fulgurian Plaza. My hotel’s there.”

“Yeah, no problem.” The guy straightened up, and Noctis couldn’t help but catch the line of his arm muscles in the streetlights. For such a skinny guy, he looked surprisingly toned. “Take a left at the light, follow the detour toward 87th street, it’s… three lights down and you’ll take another left, and Grand Avenue will be two lights down on your right. Drive down Grand about half a mile and you’re there.”

A left, the detour, another left, and then a half mile down Grand. It seemed simple enough - at least, if he could get out of the construction, his phone could hopefully get him the rest of the way. “Alright, got it.” He nodded at the guy. “Thanks.”

“Sure, man. Anytime.”

The man gave him a jaunty little wave, then hopped back from the car. As Noctis put it in drive and started to pull away, he could see him from his rear view window, grinning and gesturing to the cars passing to get their attention. He was wearing boots, Noctis could see now, ones with thick heels that gave him an extra few inches and really accentuated his butt.

He was an alluring mix of gorgeous and adorable, and even though Noctis knew it was a bad idea, even though he could just _hear_ Ignis’s voice in his head forbidding him from stopping again, he couldn’t help but pull the car back over, rolling down the window and leaning over so he could call out.

“Hey!”

The man looked away from the passing cars back to him, then smiled, doing a quick jog his way. “Well, hello again.”

“There’s no way I’m going to remember all that,” Noctis said in answer, hitting the unlock button for his doors. “Mind riding with me and helping me get there?”

The man hesitated, glancing back at the spot where he’d been standing. “I would, but I kinda gotta-”

“I’ll pay you two thousand gil.”

The man pulled his gaze away, looking back at him now. “You’re serious?”

“Sure.”

The man glanced over him again, then shrugged, that big grin sliding back on his face. “Alright. Guess I can do that.”

He pulled open the door, sliding into the seat next to Noctis. Noctis pulled out the bills, handing them over, and watched as the man slid them into the top of his boot.

“Alright.” He straightened up, grinned, and pointed at the light straight ahead. “Left there. Then we’re going to take the detour.”

“Yep.” Noctis pulled away from the curb, trying not to think too much about the easy way the man leaned into him, and drove.

The man watched out the window for a moment, then swiveled in his seat to glance back, eyes roving over the leather. “This really is a nice car…”

“Thanks.”

The guy shifted his attention to the middle console. “You drove it all the way here from Lucis?”

“It rode on a train part of the way.” Noctis shrugged. “I don’t like rentals.”

“Ah yeah, guess you can’t rent this nice of a car… Oh, follow that detour.”

He waited until Noctis pulled onto the next street before speaking again. “So what brings you all the way to Gralea?”

“Business.”

“Yeah. Thought so. I mean, with a car this nice…”

“It’s my dad’s,” Noctis clarified, then almost immediately felt his face heat. Why did he have to say that…?

The guy seemed no less impressed. “Family business, huh?”

He suppressed a laugh. “You could say that…”

It felt a little weird, having a conversation like this. Whoever this guy was, he clearly had no idea that he was in the car with royalty. That, or he was really good at pretending. Either way, it was… nice. Like he didn’t have to be the prince of Lucis for the moment.

Relaxing.

“Well. Your dad has nice taste in cars.”

“Yeah. But the Regalia’s the best.”

“The Regalia?”

“That’s what it’s called.”

The man whistled, giving the seat a pat. “Fancy name for a fancy car… Oh, left here.”

Noctis followed his directions, breathing a sigh of relief as the hotel finally came into sight. “Finally.”

“Looks like a nice place.”

“You’ve never been here?” Noctis asked, and then immediately felt like an idiot. His companion visibly held back laughter.

“Nah… my speed is more hotels that rent by the hour.” He winked, and Noctis suddenly felt too hot in the car.

He stopped the car at the valet podium. The other man reached out to open the door, then yanked his hand back when one of the valets opened it for him. “Oh,” he said, startled. “Fancy…”

“You get used to it,” Noctis assured him, stepping out of the door that had been opened for them. He heard something that sounded like a laugh, but didn’t remark on it. The car was driven away, leaving them standing on the sidewalk outside the hotel.

“...Sorry,” said Noctis suddenly, looking around. “I guess I got you pretty far from home.”

“Nah, it’s okay.” He shrugged easily. “I’ll just… catch a cab.”

“Do you want me to call one-”

“No, it’s fine, I got it.” He gave Noctis a little wave, starting to walk away backwards down the street. “I had a fun time, riding in your car.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the directions.”

“No problem, dude. See ya.”

He turned, walking down the street, and Noctis turned toward the hotel doors. The night already felt a little colder and more lonely, now.

He couldn’t help but stop and look back one last time, and that’s when he saw the man had stopped. He was standing by a bus stop, hunched up a bit from the cold. Unlike most other people on the street, he didn’t pull out a phone to look at, instead glancing around at the signs and lights of Fulgurian Plaza. They fell on him, illuminating his blonde hair and making his blue eyes sparkle.

Before he could give it thought, Noctis was walking down the street toward him.

“Hey. Thought you were gonna get a cab.”

The man jumped, and when he turned his startled expression to Noctis, he looked younger, less confident than he had when he’d stopped him earlier on the street. But then it smoothed out, a sheepish smile crawling over his lips as he reached up to rub his bangs between his fingers.

“Well, you know… mass transit is better for the environment, and all…”

“It’s late. Who knows when the next bus will be by.” He glanced around, suddenly feeling nervous, but he’d already made it this far, so…

“You… said your rates were reasonable?”

The smile on the guy’s face got even bigger, all teeth and freckles. “Ten thousand.”

Noctis faltered. “For the night?”

“For the hour.”

“That’s reasonable…” Noctis had a feeling he was being up-charged, given that he had already seen his fancy car and fancy hotel, but it was too late now. He’d made his decision, and it wasn’t like he didn’t have the money.

He nodded. “Alright. Then… would you mind coming up with me?”

He held out his hand, and the other man took it, all smiles. “Love to.”

They walked down to the hotel doors, where the doorman let them in, face impassive even as he could clearly see the man’s skimpy clothing and high boots. The people in the lobby were not so indifferent, however - as the man looked awestruck around at the opulent decor, others looked at him with a mix of shock and revulsion.

Noctis shrugged off his coat, holding it out to the man. “Here. Put this on.”

He took it, barely looking away from everything, until he realized what was in his hands. He blinked at it, then a strange look crossed his face, and he quickly pulled it on, glancing around. No one met his eyes.

“This is… a nicer place than I’m used to,” he muttered, and Noctis just shrugged, leading him toward the front desk.

“Just ignore them - it’s not their business.”

At the desk, he asked for some Tenebrean cake and wine to be brought up to his suite, then lead the man to the elevators. He’d gotten much quieter as they walked through the lobby, but seemed to visibly relax as they entered the elevator.

“So... I guess this is the worst time.” Noctis leaned against the elevator wall, rubbing at the back of his neck. “But what’s your name.”

He grinned. “You’re the one paying. What do you want it to be?”

Noctis looked away. “Whatever your real name is,” he answered, and heard a laugh.

“It’s Prompto. And you are…”

“Just call me Noct.”

He looked up, watching Prompto’s face for any spark of recognition, but there was none. “Noct, huh? That’s a great name.”

“Sure.”

The elevator doors slid open, and Noctis lead Prompto down the hall. This being the penthouse, his was the only door on the floor. He unlocked it with his key, and stepped back to let Prompto in first; his jaw dropped as soon as he came in.

“Oh wow…”

The penthouse was big enough to be its own apartment, with a large main sitting area complete with a desk, table, and a wet bar, glass double doors leading to the bedroom, and more glass doors leading out to the large balcony. Noctis didn’t like it all that much - he preferred more modern furnishings, where the penthouse was more traditional - but Prompto seemed in awe of everything.

“This is where you’re staying?”

“Yeah. My dad insisted.” He walked in, immediately taking off his tie and dropping it unceremoniously over a chair, shoes off and tossed over by the door. “I guess it has a nice view-”

Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth, Prompto was out the balcony door, leaning on the railing. “You can see the whole city from here!” he called back over his shoulder, and Noctis couldn’t help but smile as he followed him out.

“It’s okay.”

“Okay!? It’s gorgeous.” Prompto bent down and slipped his hand into one of his boots, pulling out the most scratched and beat up digital camera Noctis had ever seen. It was a wonder it had even fit in there. “Do you mind if I…?”

“Uh, no, go ahead.”

Prompto grinned, turning and lifting the camera, taking a dozen pictures in rapid succession, at different angles. Noctis had a feeling they wouldn’t turn out well (the camera hardly looked like it could handle night shots), but Prompto seemed satisfied enough when he looked at his screen, flipping through them one by one.

“You… like taking pictures?”

“Huh!?” Prompto jumped again, like he’d forgotten Noctis was there in all the excitement. “Oh, yeah. It’s just… sort of a hobby, for me.”

“Can I see?”

Prompto hesitated, gripping his camera tighter to him. “Oh, well… I don’t know. I’m not all that good…”

Noctis shrugged, leaning against the railing. “I guarantee they’re better than I can do, no matter what they look like.”

Prompto seemed to mull it over, and after a moment he held out the camera. “Then… yeah, okay.”

Noctis scrolled through the pictures, starting at the ones he’d just taken off the balcony. They were blurry, but not as much as he’d thought they’d be - Prompto seemed to compensate for his low quality camera as best he could by the angles he chose. Going further back, the pictures during the day were much better: shots of dogs, interesting architecture of the city, street bands playing on the corner, a woman in a bar, smiling at him over her glass. Noctis didn’t know much about photography, but he could tell Prompto put thought into the shots, angling them for good lighting and shot composition.

“These are really good,” he said after a minute, and looked up to see Prompto beaming.

“Thanks. I mean… I’m just an amatuer, but…”

“These don’t look amatuer.” Noctis handed the camera back. “Have you taken classes or anything?”

“Not really… Sometimes, I look through magazines or watch tutorials online, but…”

“Is that why you’re doing this?” Noctis blurted out, then immediately felt stupid. “So you can go to art school, or something…” he finished lamely.

Thankfully, Prompto didn’t seem offended by his question. Instead, he just shrugged. “Nah. School was never really my thing.” A pause, and he added, “Speaking of that, uh… you still have to pay me, you know…”

“Oh, right.” Noctis walked back in, glad to escape that conversation, while Prompto stopped to stick his camera back in his boot (seriously, how?). “You said ten thousand…?”

“Yep.”

Noctis dug out the “emergency cash” Ignis made him keep in the room (“Everyone uses cards, Specs,” he remembers himself saying a few days ago, suddenly glad he didn’t listen). He glanced through it, while Prompto continued to chatter on.

“Just as a general rule, I don’t kiss on the mouth. I’m good for pretty much anywhere else you want to be kissed, though, or anything else you’re into… Oh, except I’m not really big on confined spaces, so-”

“How much for the whole night?”

Prompto abruptly halted his monologue. “The whole who what now?”

“The whole night.”

“You’re serious?”

Noctis shifted, glancing out the window. “I’ve had… a bad last few days. Frustrating days.” He glanced back. “I wouldn’t mind some company.”

Prompto seemed to think about it, slowly getting back to his feet. “...Thirty thousand.”

Noctis glanced back at his cash, then nodded. “Alright.”

He held out the bills, and Prompto stared at it for a moment like he wasn’t sure it was real. Then he quickly took it, leaning to stuff it in his boots alongside the money Noctis had given him earlier.

“All night. Alright.” He grinned, looking back up. “Are you into something kinky or what?”

Noctis deadpanned. “No.”

“Alright, alright.” Prompto held up his hands in defense, then came closer, reaching out to slide his hand around Noctis’s waist. Noctis tried not to shiver. “All night, huh? What should we do first…”

Whatever Noctis had been about to say was interrupted by a knock at the door. Prompto glanced over his shoulder, a momentary look of panic crossing his face, but Noctis said, “It’s room service,” and he relaxed.

“Oh, right. Let me get that, then.”

He walked off to get the door, and Noctis sank onto the couch, leaning back into the cushions. The man bringing their food asked where they wanted it, and Noctis waved a hand over his shoulder. “Just put it on the bar.”

“It will be billed to your room, sir,” said the man, and he waved again. A moment passed, and then he heard Prompto say, “_What_?” at the man, uncertainly, and he leaned up to look over the couch.

The man who had brought the room service was still standing there, Prompto also standing there looking confused. Noctis palmed at his face, getting up and grabbing from the tip money Ignis kept set aside.

“Here,” he said, and the man nodded in thanks and left. Prompto wrapped his arms around himself, looking bashful.

“Shoot. A tip. I didn’t think about that.”

“It’s fine, I usually forget too.” Noctis rubbed the back of his neck. “Ignis usually gets it for me…”

Noctis walked to the bar, grabbing one of the pastries and taking a bite. Good, but not as good as the ones he could get in Tenebrae with Luna. He poured some wine, offering it to Prompto.

“So, Ignis.” Prompto took the glass, holding it delicately. “Is he your boyfriend, or…?”

Noctis bit back a laugh. “No. He’s… he works for me.”

“Oh.” Prompto swished the wine around in his glass. “So, do you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend, or…?”

“No.” Noctis shrugged. “I’m not really into dating.”

“Oh, yeah. I get it.” Prompto took a drink. “It’s hard to date these days, anyway…”

“I guess.” Noctis gestured at the pastries. “You want one?”

“What are they?”

“Tenebraen cakes. They’re filled with berries.”

Prompto took one, taking a small bite. His eyes lit up instantly. “Oh, hey,” he said through is pastry, then quickly swallowed, taking a sip of wine to wash it down. “These are really good.”

“They’re alright. I’ve had better ones in Tenebrae…” Noctis watched as Prompto wolfed the rest of the pastry down, then slid the plate toward him. “Have as much as you want.”

“You’re sure?”

“Knock yourself out.”

Noctis went back to the couch, grabbing his phone. Prompto followed him, carrying the plate and his wine glass with him, sinking into the chair across from him.

“...Hey, you play King’s Knight?”

“I’ve heard of it.” Prompto licked off his fingers, looking up. “But I don’t have a smartphone, so…”

“Wait. Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Prompto grinned sheepishly, and Noctis considered.

He tossed his phone, and Prompto fumbled to catch it. “Whoa-”

“I’ve got it emulated on my laptop.” Noctis grabbed said device off the coffee table, balancing it in his lap and firing it up. “You can use my phone.”

Prompto looked at the screen in confusion. “What do I do…?”

Noctis patted the couch next to him, and he moved, leaning into him with the phone. His skin was warm where he leaned into Noctis, and Noctis welcomed it.

“Here, I’ll show you…”

* * *

Almost two hours later, they’d completed several stages and gotten Prompto’s new account through the corresponding chapters of the story. Prompto seemed hooked instantly, which was good for Noctis - it’d been a long time since he had someone to play video games with like this. And, sure, he’d had to pay him, but Prompto’s enthusiasm seemed genuine enough. Most people only hung out with Noctis for his title…

“Critical hit!” Prompto crowed. “The boss is down!”

“Nice.” Noctis raised his fist, and Prompto enthusiastically bumped it, grinning ear to ear. He hadn’t moved from Noctis’s side since they’d started, nestling in close to watch his laptop screen, his breath sometimes tingling against Noctis’s ear or neck. He’d slipped off his boots awhile ago, and they laid haphazardly by the couch - their socked feet bumped together almost constantly.

Prompto’s eyes met Noctis’s gaze, and his smile softened around the edges - without prompting, he reached out and closed the laptop, slipping it onto the coffee table.

“I feel like,” he said, putting the phone on top of the laptop and then sliding off the couch to his knees in front of Noctis, “someone is finally ready for a different kind of game.”

Noctis pouted just a little. “Moving too slow for you?”

“I’m usually on an hourly rate, so people jump my bones as fast as they can.” Prompto slid his hand up the inside of Noctis’s thigh, then traced his pants button with a slender finger. “No one’s ever hired me to play video games with them before.”

Noctis shrugged, glancing away. “I’m not used to this.”

“Hiring a sex worker?” Prompto looked up at him curiously. “Or… being with a guy?” When Noctis didn’t answer, he grinned mischievously. “Or, having sex at all…?”

Noctis felt his face heat. “I’ve had sex.”

“Hey, no surprise there! A guy as hot as you… I bet they’re lining up back home.”

Noctis huffed a small, derisive laugh. “You could say that…”

Prompto watched his face, then looked back down. “Bad path, huh? Okay, let’s try this instead.”

He finally took the button with his roving finger and unhooked it deftly, then tugged on the hem of Noctis’s pants and boxers. Nocts canted his hips just enough for the fabric to slip down to his knees, his half-hard cock springing free. Prompto eyed it with a hunger that Noctis would believe was totally real if he hadn’t just paid the guy thirty thousand gil, then grabbed for his boot, reaching around until he found what he was looking for.

“Alright, I have green, red, and blue still left, and one strawberry flavor if that’s what you like.”

Noctis couldn’t help but grin. “How about blue for both of us?”

“Two blues it is.” Prompto tossed the rest back into his boot, then lifted one of the condoms and ripped the packaging open with his teeth. With an efficiency that was a little sexy, he got the condom on Noctis’s dick, then rose fully onto his knees and bent his head to suck.

Noctis moaned at the warmth enveloping his dick, sinking deeper into the couch. Prompto took an almost no-nonsense approach to the blowjob, moving at a rhythmic pace that he tapped out with his fingers on Noctis’s thighs. Noctis couldn’t help but reach out and tangle a hand in his blonde hair, and Prompto let him, his lips quirking upward around his shaft.

He stopped when Noctis was fully erect, lifting up with a soft pop that made Noctis laugh, strained as it was with need. Prompto settled on his knees in front of him, pulling off his tank top with one easy movement and letting it settle on the floor.

“You want to do this here, or take it to the bedroom?” he asked, and Noctis shrugged. “And you got any preference on positions?” Another shrug. Prompto chuckled. “Lazy, huh? Okay, I can work with that.”

He shimmied out of his tight pants quickly, letting them land next to his shirt, then reached up and undid the buttons on Noctis’s shirt one by one. He swept his palms over Noctis’s bare chest, pushing the fabric back, and Noctis trembled just a little under the touched. He leaned up to let Prompto get the shirt off, and it was tossed onto another chair.

“Pants,” said Prompto, and off those went, too, into the same chair. Then he bent down and pulled out a small bottle of lube from his own pants pocket.

“How do you fit all that stuff on you?” Noctis asked incredulously, and Prompto laughed.

“Lots of practice.” He glanced at Noctis. “I have a feeling you’d rather watch than do this part yourself?”

Noctis nodded, and Prompto nodded back, and then he slicked his fingers and without any further preamble began to loosen himself up, first one finger and then two shortly after. Noctis had never watched anyone do this to themselves before, and it was oddly enticing.

Prompto caught his eyes on him, and deliberately slowed down his movements, taking his time and pleasuring himself a bit. He looked at Noctis’s cock with hunger again, observing, “I’ll need three fingers for that bad boy.” Noctis doubted that, but he appreciated the sentiment anyway.

Besides, watching Prompto push a third finger in, with a needy moan to match, was worth all the empty flattery. He’d been so adorable just minutes ago, earnestly debating whether to cast ice magic or heal, but now he’d transformed into a man so hot, Noctis could feel his whole body catching on fire.

“You ready?” he huffed when he started to worry he would come just from watching, and Prompto smirked at him, pulling his fingers out and wiping them on his hip.

“Getting impatient, huh?” He moved forward to straddle Noctis’s legs, then started to lower himself down. “Even though I’m doing all the work.”

“Guess I’m just used to ordering people around.”

“You are, huh? Guess I never did ask you what you _do_...”

But, blessedly, before Noctis had to come up with an answer to that, he slid himself down onto Noctis’s dick, and Noctis moaned again, leaning his head back into the sheets. Prompto was surprisingly tight, and the sensation was so strong he almost lost control immediately.

“Oh yeah, there we go…” Prompto’s voice was a hoarse whisper now, and it sent shivers through Noctis’s spine. Without prompting, he started to move, quickly up and down. He was so strong for someone so skinny.

He thought, maybe, that he should try to do something for Prompto, who was also hard by now, but that thought was quickly driven out of his head as Prompto started moving faster and he felt all his self control unravel. He reached out to put his hands on Prompto’s hips instead, sinking his fingertips into Prompto’s flesh as he grunted and moaned in time with Prompto’s movements.

He didn’t last long at all - with a last rush of heat, he was finished. It might have been almost embarrassingly quick under other circumstances, but as it was he just felt warm and satisfied, in a way he hadn’t in awhile now.

Prompto pulled himself off, grinning at Noctis and no doubt the half-lidded, sated look he had on his face. He was still pretty hard, and Noctis fought off impending sleepiness to nod at it.

“Need a hand?”

“That’s up to you,” said Prompto with a shrug, and Noctis took that as all the permission he needed. Not caring that Prompto never put on that condom, he reached over and stroked his dick, slow and a little lazy.

Prompto laughed, and Noctis popped an eye all the way open to glare at him. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” he said quickly, but Noctis still frowned, forcing himself into sit up and put more effort in. Prompto’s eyes widened in surprise, and he suddenly reached for the coffee table and grabbed a tissue from the box set there by courtesy.

He came quickly after Noctis started stroking in earnest, using the tissue to keep any discharge from getting on the furniture. “I’d hate to make a mess in this nice hotel room,” he muttered. He was panting slightly, and Noctis felt even more satisfied that he had caused it.

“They’ll just clean it tomorrow anyway…” Noctis’s words faded into a yawn, and he pushed himself up from the couch. “I’m going to bed.”

“Oh, sure. Um…” Prompto fidgeted, and Noctis couldn’t help but think it was adorable. He was so confident just a moment ago… “Should I take the couch, or…”

“It’s a king. No reason you can’t sleep with me.”

“Alright!”

He might have had a rule against kissing on the mouth, but it didn’t seem like cuddling was off the table. Once they were in bed, Prompto tossed a wiry arm over his chest, and Noctis found that he didn’t mind it, or the way Prompto’s hair tickled his shoulder or cheek where he nestled against him.

_He’s so warm,_ was Noctis’s last thought before drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was reading back over the last chapter, and realized I said at first Prompto had dark hair, because I was going for him wearing a wig like Julia Roberts does at the beginning of the movie, but I immediately forgot about it and only mentioned him having blonde hair from then on. So I went back and edited the chapter so he never had a wig. This isn't like... a story-altering retcon, but I thought I would mention it.

Noctis woke to harsh sunlight in his face and a rousing call of, “Rise and shine, Princess!”

Grumbling, he threw an arm over his eyes, shielding himself from the worst of the morning. A rough hand, with familiar callouses, reached down to tug at his elbow, and he impatiently swatted it away with his other hand.

“Gimme another hour, Gladio...”

“Ooooh no you don’t. After the little disappearing act you pulled last night, you’re lucky you’ve survived to sleep this long.” Another tug on his arm, which Noctis allowed this time, freeing his eyes to the sun once more. “Ignis is on his way here to chew your ass out, and I don’t mean in a fun way.”

That got Noctis to sit all the way up. “Shit,” he hissed, rubbing at his eyes with his finger and thumb. He’d meant to text Ignis and tell him he’d gone back to the hotel, but after meeting Prompto…

_Prompto._

He twisted to see Prompto still in bed with him. He was awake, and had comically yanked the comforter up to his chin to hide his naked chest, wide eyes flicking between Noctis and the new arrival.

“So…” Noctis turned his face back to Gladio, whose shit-eating grin was somehow even brighter and more irritating than the morning sun. “Aren’t you gonna introduce me to your friend?”

“Fuck off,” Noctis huffed, pushing at his arm, but Gladio was infuriatingly stout and not moving anywhere. “Ugh, fine.” He rolled his eyes, then looked back at Prompto.

“Gladio, this is Prompto.” He hesitated, wondering how much he should divulge now. If he said Gladio was just his business associate or something, would the other man play along? Even if he did, Noctis shuddered at what kind of jokes would come at his expense if he made him do that. And, well. The night was over, so it didn’t really matter now if Prompto knew who he was now.

Saying goodbye to his short-lived anonymity, Noctis continued, “Prompto, this is Gladiolus Amicitia… my Shield.”

Prompto looked between them again. “Shield…?”

“Yep.” Gladio slammed a hand down on Noctis’s shoulder with more force than strictly necessary. “It’s my job to keep Princey here safe.”

The words sunk into Prompto, and then his eyes seemed to bulge in his skull. “_Prince_?”

Gladio’s grin somehow grew even bigger. “Holy shit. You didn’t tell him.”

“I was _going_ to! Eventually!”

Gladio hooted with laughter. “This just gets better and better!”

Noctis ran a hand down his face, then turned back to Prompto, who had gone awfully pale from all these revelations. Noctis also noticed, now in the natural light, that he had freckles.

“Prince?” Prompto repeated slowly, and Noctis nodded.

“Yeah, uh… My full name is Noctis Lucis Caelum.” He grimaced. “_Prince_ Noctis Lucis Caelum.”

“Oh…” Prompto pulled the comforter closer to him, like a shield. “Am I in trouble?”

“No, no,” Noctis assured him quickly, then turned to Gladio. “_I_ invited him here. Got that?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Gladio was still grinning, but it was more toned down now. “Relax, kid, I’m not gonna hurt you. Ignis is gonna kill _you_, though.” He looked at Noctis now. “You better be glad we were able to confirm you came back to the room before he called in a search party.”

“Why didn’t he just come in if he was so worried?”

“He was going to, but then we saw that you brought a… _gentleman caller._” His eyes flicked to Prompto, then back. “I talked him into letting you sow your royal oats. Maybe stop you from being such a whiny bitch all the time. Can’t say he’s thrilled about it, though.”

Noctis covered his face with his palms and sighed into them, then held out a hand to Gladio. “Hand me some clean boxers.”

Gladio grunted something about that not being his job, but did as Noctis asked. He shimmied into them under the covers, then swung his legs out of bed, stumbling groggily to the closet. He’d just gotten pants on and was buttoning his shirt back up when the door to the penthouse was abruptly opened and shut.

“Any last words?” asked Gladio, and then the door to the bedroom was wrenched open.

Ignis Scientia looked as cool and composed as he always did, but Noctis had known him long enough to see the anger glinting behind his glasses. He folded his arms over his chest when their eyes met, and Noctis steeled himself.

“Good morning, Specs.”

“Perhaps for some of us.” Ignis’s voice was short and clipped, the way it was when Noctis really screwed up. “However, I have spent the better part of the night making sure you were safe, and the better part of the morning making sure there weren’t any scandalous photos of you on social media.”

“Well… are there?”

“No. But that isn’t the point.” Ignis’s brow furrowed. “What were you thinking, Highness? Leaving the party early, driving around Gralea, _alone_?”

“Niflheim and Lucis are at peace-”

“You and I both know there’s still anti-Lucian sentiment in Niflheim. And even if there weren’t, there are still plenty of opportunistic people willing to take advantage of even a moment of vulnerability.”

“I can take care of my-”

“I’m not sure you can,” Ignis snapped. Both their voices were rising, eyes locked on each other. “Because not only did you leave the party, you stopped and picked up a _prostitute_-”

“So what if I did?”

“-without even thinking of how that might reflect on _you_, on your _family_-”

“You just said there wasn’t anything online!”

“That doesn’t matter. It’s completely inappropriate for someone in your position to be hiring a hooker-”

“Sex worker.”

All eyes turned to Prompto, who shrank back a bit into the headboard. He was clearly uncomfortable, but after a stuttering breath, he forged ahead. “I… prefer the term ‘sex worker’…?” When no one spoke, he continued on in a rush, “It’s just, ‘prostitute’ and ‘hooker’ have a lot of baggage, so…”

He trailed off, leaving them in silence for a moment. Both Noctis and Ignis took a deep breath, and Noctis felt his anger subside before he spoke again.

“Paid or not, he’s my guest here, Ignis.”

Ignis looked, really looked, at Prompto for the first time, and took another deep breath. “Yes. My apologies.” He reached up, pushing at the bridge of his glasses. “Hiring a sex worker is not something you should make a habit of. That’s all I meant.” He looked back to Noctis. “We need to go over your schedule for today. Afterward, I can take Mister…”

“Prompto. Uh, Prompto Argentum.”

“Mr. Argentum back wherever he needs to go.”

“Fine.” Noctis nodded curtly. He looked back at Prompto now. “And you’re welcome to clean up before you leave.” He wished sorely that he could do more. Of course this would become messy - what a sendoff.

“Um, thanks.”

They all stood still, staring expectantly at Prompto, who stayed under the covers, staring right back at Noctis. Finally, he added quietly, “I’m… naked under here, so…” A blush dusted his cheeks, and Noctis felt his heart jump oddly in his chest.

He’d been so confident when they were having sex, seeing him so shy now was too much. Noctis quickly turned back toward the door, saying, “Right. Everybody out.”

They moved into the living area, Gladio shutting the bedroom doors behind them. He wandered off to the other side of the room, to order breakfast and try to sound like he wasn’t eavesdropping, Noctis guessed, while he followed Ignis to the bar, where his laptop sat.

Ignis seemed eager to get back to business and ignore what had just happened in the other room. He launched into a rundown of Noctis’s schedule without further comment, his hard expression allowing for no change of subject.

“At ten, you’re meeting with Ambassador Clericus - it’s mostly a formality, though there will be a short press conference afterwards. Be sure to say something nice about Niflheim’s attempts to extend tourism and education opportunities to Lucian citizens. Then you’ll be having lunch with some of our citizens who are on work visas here in the city, and there will be a photo op, of course. And after…”

Noctis tuned Ignis out, his eyes glazing over the events laid out on his calendar. He heard the shower start up in the bathroom, and he couldn’t help but think about Prompto in there, wondering if he looked hot with his blonde hair wet and pushed back-

“Then you’ll be meeting with Secretary Tremellius and his wife for dinner at seven.” Noctis snapped back to attention. “It’s not supposed to be a working dinner, but hopefully this will allow you to smooth things over so we can eventually reach an agreement.”

_Dinner._

And suddenly, Noctis had an idea.

“...You said his wife will be there?”

“Yes, as is customary for social dinners.” Ignis looked up from the computer. “Why?”

“Well, I was just thinking… maybe you’re right. Maybe it _would_ be easier to “smooth things over” if I had a date with me.”

Ignis actually looked surprised, at least minisculely, by this sudden declaration. He composed himself quickly, though, immediately reaching for his phone.

“I’m glad to hear it. There’s a number of women who were asking about you at the party - I have some names here, if you’d like to take a look and-”

“I’m going to hire Prompto,” Noctis interrupted, and this time Ignis was visibly surprised, his phone nearly slipping out of his grasp.

“I’m… sorry, you’re going to _what_?”

“I’m going to hire Prompto,” he repeated, voice confident and sure. The more he said it aloud, the more he knew it was the perfect decision.

Ignis didn’t seem to share in this confidence, however - he continued to stare at Noctis like he’d just said he was going to take a catoblepas as his date. Across the room, Gladio had stopped pretending that he wasn’t paying attention.

“...Why…” said Ignis slowly, lifting his free hand to press it to his temple, “would you want to do that?”

“Because it’s perfect. I don’t want to date any of those vapid nobles from the party; I don’t want to date _anybody_, especially when I’m leaving in a week. But Prompto’s whole job is faking relationships for money. I’ll hire him on as my employee, he gets paid, I get a date, we part at the end with no hard feelings.” Noctis shrugged languidly. “Foolproof.”

“It’s hardly _foolproof_,” snapped Ignis back. “You don’t know anything about this man, for one thing; you’ll be lucky if he didn’t take a video of your encounter for blackmail.” Noctis opened his mouth to protest, but Ignis continued before could. “And even if his intentions are good, if the truth of this ever got out, it would do incalculable damage to your reputation, and the reputation of the Crown. Not to mention that prostitution is illegal, which means as the future head of government you never should have engaged in it to begin with.”

“It’s in his best interest as much as ours that this transaction stays totally under the table,” Noctis argued. “He wants money, he doesn’t want to go to jail, and I have money and want a no-strings date. It’s a win-win.”

“It’s not even worth considering. If this is your solution, you should just go alone.”

“You’re the one who wanted me to have a date in the first place!”

“_Yes_, with a noblewoman or a young ingenue, not with a hooker.”

“A sex worker,” Noctis corrected, watching with satisfaction as Ignis’s brow furrowed even further. “You know, you’re being more condescending about this than I expected, Specs. Doesn’t the Crown have a duty to even the poorest of people?”

For a moment, Ignis looked like he might actually lose his composure for once in his life, but then he took a deep breath through his mouth and let it out through his nose.

“I didn’t mean… to vilify him. I don’t know what path in life led him to where he is, but I know that his… _line of work_ doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.”

“Very diplomatic of you.”

“I’m only worried for your sake. And, for his too. If this were to become a scandal, the media will likely be twice as harsh towards him than it will be towards you. It’s a big risk you’re taking here.”

“I know,” said Noctis resolutely, because he did. There was a real chance this could go sideways quickly. But he also felt, from the very brief time they’d known each other, that Prompto was genuinely a good person. And maybe with him around, he could survive this week.

“But it’s gonna work out. I feel good about this, Ignis.”

Ignis considered for a long, long moment, then sighed, and Noctis knew he had won. “I still have my objections, but I can tell I’m not going to get anywhere.”

“Your objections are noted.” Noctis grinned. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“I’ll start making arrangements for him.” Ignis sounded weary, but reached again for his laptop. “He’ll be needing new clothes, I imagine. And where will he be staying?”

“Here,” said Noctis over his shoulder as he headed for the bedroom, stopping on the way to grab the clothes Prompto had left on the floor. Just as he entered, he heard the sound of a palm slapping someone’s back, and Gladio’s voice saying, “Good try anyway,” with barely restrained laughter.

* * *

After the other men left the room, Prompto had to duck his head under the covers for a minute, just to compose himself.

A _prince_. He’d known he was sleeping with someone who had serious money, but a _prince_? And the prince of _Lucis_ of all places! He pinched himself three times just to be sure he wasn’t dreaming, but the pain was as real as the silky soft sheets he was lying on.

He giggled softly, purely out of disbelief. This was the most surreal day of his life. His friends back at the boarding house were _never_ going to believe this!

He couldn’t stay put too long, though, as nice as the bed was. Noct (Prince Noctis!) had said to get cleaned up, and he didn’t want to overstay his welcome. He was already on the bad side of the one in glasses, and while that big guy had seemed friendly, Prompto didn’t want to see what would happen if he got serious.

So he got out of bed and padded across the floor softly, shutting the double french doors that seemed, to him, utterly counterproductive for a bathroom. Inside was a huge jacuzzi tub that looked absolutely incredible, but he turned his eyes to the shower instead. He’d need to make this quick. He was already undressed at least, other than the thick faux-leather bracelet he always kept around his wrist, which stayed where it was.

It took him a moment to get it figured out (because this fancy penthouse shower apparently needed two showerheads and multiple knobs), but soon he had the water at the perfect warmth to step inside. The water pressure was great already, but he reached up to fiddle at bit with the nozzle, and quickly discovered that there were multiple settings with different pressures and speeds.

Suddenly, thoughts of moving quickly were thrown out the window, as Prompto found a setting where the spray beat down on him in revolving patterns like some kind of water massage. How did rich people get anything done when they had stuff like this to enjoy?

The next obstacle was figuring out which shampoo and soap he was allowed to use. He’d planned to use any complementary soap the hotel had, but it took a moment to realize the full size shampoo and body wash bottles _were_ the hotel’s complementary stock - there were other black bottles of men’s moisturizing soap and styling shampoo that Prompto assumed were Noctis’s own.

Prompto had been in many, many hotels, but never one like this.

He finally broke out of his reverie and started lathering up his hair, humming a tune to himself. As crazy as the morning had been, it’d been awhile since he’d had a night quite as good as this one had turned out to be. He’d been paid well, enjoyed this swanky hotel room, and, well… he couldn’t say he’d never had better, but Noctis was handsome, and fun, and a little weird, but in a good way.

Who hired a sex worker and then asked them to play video games, anyway? Prompto couldn’t help but smile a little at the memory. Too bad he didn’t have a smartphone… maybe they could have played that game with each other every now and then.

_Don’t kid yourself, Prompto,_ he chided himself. _You were one night of stress relief. He’s probably already forgotten your name._

“Prompto?”

_...Or maybe not._

“Uh, yeah?” Prompto reached up to swipe at the fog on the glass shower door. Noctis was still blurry, but he could see that he was holding a hand over his eyes. It was so unexpected Prompto had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. “I-is… is something wrong?”

“No. I just… had something I wanted to talk to you about.” A pause, and Noctis lowered his hand, though his eyes were still squeezed shut. “An offer, actually.”

“You can open your eyes, man. We’re _way_ past that, I think.”

Noctis did; it was hard to tell through the glass door, already fogging over again, but Prompto could swear he was blushing. “I didn’t think… I came in here to talk to you about business.”

What a stuffy way to put it! Prompto laughed. “You want me to come back tonight?” He hoped so. Another night or two with Noctis and he’d haul away more than he usually made in two weeks.

“Actually, I want to hire you for the whole week, until Sunday.”

The smile dropped off Prompto’s face, and he opened the door, peeking around at Noctis. “Sorry, haha… The water’s kinda loud, it sounded like you said a whole _week_?”

“I did say that.”

“Oh.” Prompto sagged against the doorframe. “Every night?”

“And day too. See, Specs- Ignis, that guy you, uh, met, he thinks I need a date for all these things I’m scheduled for while I’m in town. But…”

“You don’t like dating?” Prompto filled in.

“Yeah. Yeah, exactly.” Noctis shrugged, trying to appear casual, but Prompto could tell he was nervous. “But I thought, you know… I could pay you to pretend to be my date, and then there would be no hard feelings when I have to go back to Insomnia.”

“Oh, uh…” It was an incredibly tempting offer. A whole week would mean big money, if he negotiated well, but… “I’ve… never been to a fancy party before. Are you sure I could pull it off?”

“Yeah, no problem.” Noctis shrugged again. “It’s easy. Most government guys like to hear themselves talk anyway, so you just have to smile and nod.”

“Smile and nod…” Prompto could do that, right? He’d played dozens of parts for his customers the last few years, so he could play this one too. Really, how bad could it be?

“...How much are you offering?” he asked after only a few moments’ thought, and Noctis’s face lit up; he clearly hadn’t been sure Prompto would agree.

“What would you do it for?”

Prompto turned it over in his head. He’d asked for thirty thousand the night before, a figure he now wished he’d increased, knowing this guy was royalty. Still, he wanted days, too, and appearances at events. With all that in mind…

“...Four hundred thousand.”

“Thirty thousand a night for six nights is only one hundred eighty thousand,” Noctis challenged him, and Prompto shrugged.

“You want days too.”

“How about two hundred thousand?”

“Three hundred thousand.”

Noctis grinned, holding out a hand. “Done.”

Prompto stared at his hand, then reached out and shook it, a grin spreading over his own face.

“Th-three hundred thousand gil. Astrals.” He felt a little faint.

“You’ll need clothes to wear, too. Nice stuff. Ignis will get you the money for that. And anything you want for lunch, you can charge it to room service.

Three hundred thousand gil, and extra for clothes and food… Prompto could scarcely believe his ears. “You’re really serious, huh?”

“Obviously.” Noctis lowered his eyes. “You just… can’t let _anybody_ know about this, okay? For you as much as me… if anyone finds out about this, the media won’t be kind to you.”

“Hey, I do this for a living, remember? I’m all about discretion.” Prompto pantomimed zipping his lips.

“Right.” Noctis met his eyes, more confident now. “Gladio ordered breakfast, so when you’re done in here you can have whatever you want. I have to leave soon, but I’ll see you tonight. We’re meeting with a government official for dinner - Ignis will give you more details, and help you with anything else you need.”

Prompto felt some apprehension at asking that man for anything. “Is he… okay with that?”

Noctis cringed. “Listen, he’s not… normally like he was, earlier. He was just upset. I did sorta disappear on him last night.” He gave a mirthless laugh. “Probably thought I got kidnapped or something… He’s a good guy, though, I promise.”

“Okay. Well… I guess I’m officially your employee now, anyway.”

“Right, exactly.”

“Then… do you need the shower?”

“No, I’ll just swing by Ignis’s room. Take your time.” Noctis gave him a little wave. “See ya tonight.”

Prompto gave a little wave back, then shut the shower door, sinking against the wall. Three hundred thousand gil… a whole week spent in this beautiful penthouse…

This was sure to be the best thing that could ever happen to him.

* * *

Aranea Highwind didn’t think of herself as the type of person to worry, and certainly not about adults who should be able to take care of themselves.

But she had to admit that when Prompto had never returned the night before, and hadn’t answered the door to his room this morning, that she was a little… _concerned_. It wasn’t like the kid to stay out all night, even when he was working. And things happened to people who worked the streets like he did; only a few days ago, a young woman had been found in a dumpster.

_That wouldn’t happen to Prompto,_ she tried to reassure herself, as she set about cleaning glasses and wiping down the bar. Across the room, two of the residents of her boarding house, Biggs and Wedge, sat at a table arguing over a round of poker. The bar was empty otherwise.

“Either of you guys see Prompto this morning?” she cut in over their bickering. Only Wedge glanced over at her, Biggs’s eyes on his cards.

“Did he not come home last night?”

“Haven’t seen him. He didn’t answer his door, either.”

“I’m sure he’ll turn up,” said Biggs dismissively, at the same time Wedge asked, “Want us to go look for him, Boss?”

Aranea shook her head. “No. No sense in calling in the calvary yet.” She sighed. “Man. That kid’s given me nothing but headaches since he showed up.”

It’d been a few years since she’d found him rooting through the trash behind the building. She’d had a habit of picking up strays, even back in the army, so it wasn’t long before she’d given him a room in the boarding house above the bar, and another of the girls had taken him under her wing.

Hooking was hardly the safest line of work, but for a kid in his situation, there weren’t a lot of options.

Still, he was smart, and responsible. He took care of himself, and in all this time he hadn’t run into any serious trouble.

But there was always a chance, she knew. Things so often went wrong…

She was pulled out of her reverie by the phone ringing. She frowned as she reached for it, wondering who could be calling so early.

“Highwind’s.”

“Aranea, hey. It’s me.”

“Prompto,” she replied curtly, none of her relief showing through. Across the bar, she knew Biggs and Wedge had stopped bickering to pay attention. “Where have you been?”

“You’re never going to believe this, Aranea,” he said instead of answering, breathless. “I still don’t totally believe it myself.”

“How about you tell me and I’ll decide if I believe it.”

“Well, last night, there was this guy in a really, _really_ fancy car. At first he just wanted directions, but then he decided to hire me, for the _whole night_.”

“Hope you got a lot out of him.”

“Thirty thousand, but that’s not the crazy thing.” Prompto took a big breath. “Aranea, he’s Noctis. I mean, _that_ Noctis - the Prince of Lucis!”

Aranea furrowed her brow. “You’re shitting me.”

“I’m not! I didn’t even realize who he was… I mean, I heard he was visiting, but I didn’t think he’d be down _here_, doing something like _this_...”

“Thirty thousand was too little,” groused Aranea, but she couldn’t help but smile. “Tell me, is royal dick any better than regular dick?”

“Discretion, Aranea,” he said jokingly, and she laughed. “But there’s more - listen to this. Maybe you should sit down.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, well, _I_ have to sit down.” There was some rustling, and then he continued. “He wants to hire me for the whole week. Nights, and days too. He wants me to pretend to be his date.”

Aranea tensed. “...You mean, he wants to go out with you in public?”

“Yeah!” Prompto didn’t notice her hesitance, continuing on just as excitedly. “All I have to do is stand there and look into him, I guess. And guess how much he’s paying me.” Prompto paused like he actually wanted her to guess, then answered when she didn’t, “Three hundred thousand gil!”

“...That’s a lot of money,” said Aranea finally, frowning, and she could almost feel Prompto deflate through the phone.

“You… don’t sound very happy.”

“I’m just… not sure you’ve thought this through. What if someone finds out who you are?”

“They won’t. I mean, Noct- Prince Noctis has every reason to keep this a secret, and so do his, uh… ah, what are they called? Crew?”

“His retainers? They know, too…” Aranea sighed. “What a mess.”

“Like I said, they don’t want it getting out, either.”

“If it does get out, it’ll be a scandal for a few days, and the media will make fun of him, but he’ll still be a prince,” she argued, her voice firm. “It’s you they’ll destroy. It’s always the people they see as less important that they ruin.”

Prompto was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice verged on upset. “Huh. And here I thought you’d be happy.”

It wasn’t that Aranea didn’t feel bad. But she felt like someone had to give Prompto a dose of reality here - hopefully, someone was doing the same to the prince. But she couldn’t argue that three hundred thousand gil was a lot for one week… It was definitely an attractive offer even for her, let alone Prompto.

“I just want you to think. You’re not a complete idiot, so don’t act like one.”

There was a small laugh from the other end of the line. “Going soft on me, Aranea?”

“Never. I’ll give it to you, though, that kind of money is hard to pass up…” She smiled. “What do you plan to do with it, if you get it?”

“Give it to you,” he said honestly, like this was the obvious choice, and her smile fell again.

“You’ve already paid your rent for this month, kid.”

“I know, but… not everyone else has, and I know you give a lot of the others second chances, but… we’re in trouble, aren’t we?”

He wasn’t wrong. Aranea looked around the bar, listened to the muted sounds of people moving around on the floor above. Someone was playing music a little too loud. When she’d bought this place, she’d let in her fair share of war veterans and war orphans, street urchins and down-on-their luck dreamers. She liked those kinds of people. But they didn’t make for reliable tenants, or stable financial situations.

She hadn’t told Prompto that if the situation didn’t improve, she’d lose the building in another few months. But he’d found out anyway - too observant for his own good.

“You let me worry about that. You do enough, just paying your rent.”

“It’s not going to matter if I don’t have a home anymore.”

She hated it, but he was right about that.

“...Well, keep thinking about it. Maybe you can set it back for a college fund.”

He laughed at that. “Sure,” he said, sarcastically. “I’ll do that.”

She wanted to argue with him, but it wasn’t her business. And it’s not like there were a lot of options, for a kid like Prompto…

“Fine, it’s your money. Just don’t end up in jail or it’ll be for nothing.”

“Got it.” He sounded a little more cheery now. “I’ll check in with you soon.”

“If you want to, kid.”

She hung up, then looked across to where Biggs and Wedge quickly tried to pretend they hadn’t been staring. “Well. I guess you two heard everything.”

“At least Prompto’s safe, right?” asked Biggs with a shrug, and she rolled her eyes.

“Yes, and unlike you layabouts he’s paid his rent for this month.” She waved them off. “Don’t you have some hunts you can be doing? Get out of here.”

* * *

Like Noctis had said, there was a huge spread laid out for him when Prompto finished getting cleaned up. No one else was in the penthouse, so he wasn’t sure who all the food was for, but it felt nice to sit down and eat without anyone looking at him.

It was easily the biggest and richest breakfast he’d had in… well, ever. He couldn’t stop himself from grabbing eggs, bacon, fruit, even a few pancakes - by the end of it, he flopped back in his chair, rubbing his stomach and letting his eyes sink closed in satisfaction.

He shouldn’t get used to this - it was only for a week. But no shame in enjoying it now, right?

His enjoyment lasted only a short while - soon enough, the door to the penthouse opened, and the man with the glasses - Ignis, Noctis had said - bustled into the room, looking at his phone and typing something with one hand. Prompto watched as he sat a small bag on the bar, then walked past the table and sat down in one of the living area chairs, focus still on his phone.

Prompto wondered if he should say something, but feared his wrath if he interrupted him. So he stayed silent, pushing the last few bites of egg on his plate around and wondering if he was supposed to take the dishes somewhere.

Finally, Ignis sighed, adjusted his glasses, and rose to his feet, slipping his clothes into his pocket. He turned to Prompto like he’d only just noticed him, but his expression stayed imperceptibly smooth - but perceptibly cold.

“Mr. Argentum. I don’t believe we were properly introduced this morning,” he said, like this were a completely normal business meeting and he hadn’t first seen Prompto naked and in his prince’s bed. “My name is Ignis Scientia. I’m His Highness’s chief advisor. He’s instructed me to assist you with anything you might need during your employment.”

Prompto wondered if it was going to be like this the whole time, with everyone finding the most sterile ways possible to express making googly eyes at Noctis during the day and fucking him at night. Nobility was weird. “Uh… thanks.” He rubbed the back of his head. “You can just call me Prompto, though.”

Ignis regarded him silently a moment longer, then continued, “I have a few things to go over with you, Mr. Argentum, and then you will be free to go purchase clothes for tonight. I’m not sure how much His Highness told you, but you will be dining with Niflheim’s Secretary of Trade, Mr. Tremellius, and his wife. I trust you’re familiar with him?”

“Uh…” Prompto scratched his nose. “I don’t really pay attention to politics…”

“...Quite.” Ignis turned away from him, going to the bag he’d brought and rummaging around in it. “His Highness informed me that you do not have a phone, so I’ve brought you one. Keep in mind that your calls and texts from this phone will be strictly monitored by the Prince’s security team. The unlock code is 283921, but you can change it to something you’ll remember.” He pulled out a new, top-of-the-line smartphone, which he held out in Prompto’s direction. Prompto scrambled to his feet, taking the device delicately, terrified of the consequences if he dropped it.

“His Highness’s number, as well as my number and Gladiolus Amicitia’s, have been programmed in already. You met Gladio this morning.” The big guy, right. Prompto nodded. “You may call me if you need something - if I can’t answer, leave a voicemail or send a text and I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m available. Only call Gladio if you notice a security threat here or while around the Prince. Do not call the Prince at all - he’s quite busy.”

Prompto felt himself tense at the idea that he wasn’t allowed to call Noctis, but it made sense - the Prince surely _was_ a busy guy, and he was just a hired date. He was expected to come when called and stay out of the way the rest of the time. He was good at that.

“Here,” Ignis continued, pressing a laminated piece of paper toward him, “are the current codewords. Memorize these - they’re how we communicate threats while around the Prince. You will be expected to know these if an emergency were to arise.”

An emergency… Prompto was starting to feel like this was a much bigger and more complicated deal than he had first imagined, but he nodded and took the paper. “Memorize these. Got it.”

“I’m sure His Highness impressed on you the importance of keeping your identity and purpose here a secret from those you will be interacting with.” It wasn’t a question, but Ignis paused and looked at him expectantly. Prompto nodded. “There are other risks you need to be aware of. While Niflheim and Lucis are now at peace, there are always radical actors who don’t accept the war’s outcome, or opportunists looking to gain money or power. For all of us close to the prince, there’s always a chance of being abducted and pressed for information, or held for ransom. The official Lucis policy is to never negotiate with terrorists.” Ignis watched him for his reaction, but Prompto was too stunned to give much of one. “Furthermore, if you give information in exchange for your release, there will be consequences. As a citizen of Niflheim, you couldn’t be charged with treason, but there are other options available to us…”

He trailed off, still watching Prompto’s face. Prompto wasn’t sure how to react; everything Ignis was saying was, well, pretty terrifying, but surely it wasn’t serious? Maybe he was just trying to scare him off?

Ignis looked pretty serious.

Prompto took a deep breath, then ventured, “Well, like you said, we’re at peace, so… there’s a low chance of anything like that happening, right?” The last word came out a bit pleading.

After a moment of letting him sweat, Ignis nodded. “Indeed. We don’t expect any serious situations to arise.”

“That’s… that’s good. Great!” Prompto released the breath he was holding. “I mean… I’d hate for something to happen to Noct…”

Ignis’s brow furrowed. “_Prince Noctis_, or His Highness, please. At dinner you may call him Noctis. Take care that you’re being respectful.”

Prompto took another deep breath. _Three hundred thousand. Three hundred thousand._ “Prince Noctis. Got it.”

“Be sure that you do.” Ignis turned back to the bag. “Now, I have here some cash - you may use it to buy clothes for this evening. A nice suit, and a tie.” A quick glance back at Prompto. “Nothing so tight, please.”

Prompto felt himself flush. He liked his clothes, but… it was true they weren’t really suited for this place.

He averted his eyes as he took the money. Somehow, this wasn’t turning out as fun as he thought it would be.

_Three hundred thousand, three hundred thousand…_

“Dinner is at seven. We’ll meet in the lobby at six fifteen. Do not be late.”

“Six fifteen.” Prompto tucked the cash in his boot, ignoring that Ignis was likely judging him for _that_ too. “Suit and tie. I’m on it.”

“Good.” Ignis pulled his phone out of his pocket, signalling the end of the conversation. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

He returned to the chair he’d been sitting in. Prompto tucked his phone in his pocket and headed out the door, trying to act natural and not like he was running away. He couldn’t relax until he stepped into the elevator, sagging against the wall and pulling out the phone to check the time. He didn’t know what Ignis would do to him if he was late. Maybe find a way to charge him with treason after all.

Then he saw it: he had a text from Noctis. His heart sped up a little as he unlocked the phone (thank goodness he’d managed to memorize the code, during all that…), fumbling a moment to find the texting app.

_hey. told Specs to put kings knight on your new phone. did he?_

Prompto exited the texting app and scrolled to the next page - sure enough, there was the icon for the game.

_yah. kings knight is here._

_cool. busy rn but lets play later_

_sure. sounds good._

After a moment, a thumbs up appeared next to his last text, and Prompto grinned as he locked the phone. Maybe this job wouldn’t totally suck.

* * *

He’d never shopped for a suit before.

He contemplated this as he walked out into the street, busy now in the daylight. A few people shot him curious or disgusted looks as they passed, but most people acted like he wasn’t there. He wasn’t sure which was better.

He walked down the street a little ways, looking into the windows of businesses he passed. Most of the ones close to the hotel were cafes or restaurants, but further down he reached a few clothing stores. Women’s, at first, and then, finally, a store showing expensive looking suits in the window. It seemed as good as any, so he entered, looking around.

There was a lot of men’s clothing inside, not just suits, and all of it much nicer than any he’d ever seen in a store. He reached out and touched a dress shirt he quickly realized was made of silk, fingers getting lost in the texture. It was still dawning on him that he could likely buy just about anything in the store - as though in a dream, he drifted around to various items, trying to imagine how he’d look in them.

“Can I help you?”

A man’s voice pulled him out of his reverie, and he turned to face a store employee, who had his arms crossed and was looking him up and down. Prompto had seen that look on enough faces to recognize it instantly as disgust, but he tried not to let it rile him. He had money, after all.

“Uh, yeah. I’m trying to find a suit and tie? It’s for a nice dinner, so…”

“A suit,” repeated the man, unimpressed.

“Uh, yeah…” Prompto repeated, then turned back to the shirt he was standing by. “Um… how much is this?” He couldn’t see a price tag on it, or on anything else.

“I don’t think it would fit you,” answered the man curtly, and Prompto looked back at him.

“I… think it would,” he said slowly, not liking where this was going. “But I asked how much it was…”

“I don’t think we have anything in this store that would fit you,” the man insisted, moving to position himself between Prompto and the shirt. Prompto backed off.

“...I have money,” he said, though he couldn’t keep the uncertainty out of his voice. He could feel the eyes of the other employees and shoppers on him now. “I need to buy something for tonight.”

“Like I said, I don’t think we have anything that would be suitable for you.” The man took a step towards him, causing Prompto to take a few steps back toward the door. “Goodbye.”

Prompto knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with this. He turned away, without speaking, and, once again, tried to look like he wasn’t running away as he exited the store.

His eyes burned hot as he made a beeline for the hotel, keeping his head down as he weaved around other pedestrians. He no longer felt like _anyone_ was ignoring him - everyone had singled him out as an aberration, something that didn’t belong.

He was an idiot for thinking he could pull this off. He had to call Noctis and tell him he was quitting - there was no way he was going to be able to pass as his date.

The walk through the hotel lobby and to the elevator passed in a daze. He made it to the top floor, then to the door, before realizing he had another problem: he’d forgotten to get a key from Ignis.

Ignis was probably still inside - he could just knock on the door, and tell him he forgot the key, and Ignis would let him in. And then he would have to admit his complete and total failure to a guy who already thought he was less than worthless, and that…

That was too much, and before Prompto could stop himself he was crying in the hallway, leaned against the wall next to the door.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood like that, but it was long enough to seriously contemplate leaving the phone and the money on the doorstep and leaving without anyone seeing him. Before he could put that plan into action, though, the door was opening, and Ignis was there, staring at him as he furiously wiped at his tears.

“...I take it you forgot your key,” Ignis observed, then took a small step back as Prompto burst into a fresh round of tears. He quickly scrubbed at his eyes to keep them back, but it was too late - Ignis had definitely seen them. “...I take it that’s not all that happened.”

“...I went to buy a suit,” Prompto managed to get out. He took a deep breath, and then suddenly found a small handkerchief being pushed into his hands. It was pretty incredible that Ignis would still have something like that in this day and age, and the ridiculousness of it all was enough to get Prompto to continue. “But the guy was pretty clear… they weren’t interested in selling anything to me.”

“...I see,” said Ignis quietly, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. Prompto wiped at his eyes and nose as he watched, thinking that this was it, Ignis was going to call Noctis and tell him that this plan was definitely not going to work. At least he didn’t have to do it himself…

“...Hello, this is Ignis Scientia, advisor to Prince Noctis of Lucis. ...Yes, it’s been working out for me nicely, thank you. I’m bringing a friend of the Prince’s with me today - he needs something suitable for dinner tonight.” A pause, then Ignis smiled. “Excellent. We’ll be there in half an hour. Thank you kindly.”

Ignis hung up, then walked around Prompto back toward the elevator, motioning at him to come along. Prompto wiped his face with the handkerchief one more time, then hurried after him onto the elevator.

“I’ve contacted a shop nearby that I’ve ordered suits from before - they should have no issue serving you.” Ignis pushed the button for the next floor down, then hustled Prompto back off the elevator. “For now…” He stopped, turning around to look at Prompto, musing quietly, “You’re a bit shorter than me, but our builds are similar enough… Well, we’ll manage.”

He spun back around, and led Prompto into another room down the hall, this one a nicely decorated suite that was nowhere near as large as the penthouse. Ignis headed straight for a wardrobe, motioning Prompto to stand next to him, then spent a few minutes pulling shirts out, holding them up to Prompto, tilting his head back and forth before ultimately dismissing it. He did this several times, muttering at one point, “My style really doesn’t suit you, but I think…” before finally pulling out a striped shirt and a pair of black slacks and handing them over. “Try these. See if the legs cover your boots.”

The shirt sleeves and pant legs both were a little long on him, so Ignis dug a belt out of a drawer and hitched the pants up higher on Prompto’s waist, then cuffed the shirt sleeves smartly. “There. It will do for the trip to the shop.”

“Um, thank you?” Prompto said weakly, his mind still dizzy. After the way Ignis had treated him, he had no idea how to take any of this.

Ignis only nodded in acknowledgement, then bent and picked up the clothes Prompto had dropped in the floor. “I’ll have these washed.”

“Uh, you don’t have to-”

“It’s no trouble.” Ignis tossed the clothes in a hamper with some others, then walked to the door. “Come on; we can’t waste anymore time.”

Prompto hurried after him.

* * *

The shopkeeper, a woman this time, was nice. The suit she put him in, with a blue tie to pull out the color of his eyes, actually looked very sharp on him.

Prompto couldn’t help but stare at himself in the mirror after he got it on. He almost looked like a completely different person, a bit older and more mature, even if he could still see the freckles on his face and the softness in his cheeks.

When he saw himself like this, he started to think maybe he could pull this off.

Ignis had waited for him at the store entrance, working from his phone on things Prompto doubted he could understand. When Prompto returned, holding a box and no tears in sight, he nodded in approval.

It wasn’t until the cab ride back to the hotel that Prompto started to feel that no, he really _couldn’t_ do this.

“...Ignis?” he ventured after many minutes of silence, and Ignis glanced up from his ever-present phone. “How formal is this dinner?”

“Very formal. Why?”

“Uh…” Prompto rubbed at the back of his neck. “We might… have a small problem…”

* * *

“So this,” Ignis pointed, “is the oyster fork - you might not have this one at your table, but remember it’s the only fork on the right. Soup spoon, dinner spoon, salad knife, dinner knife…” He pointed to the other side. “Salad fork, dinner fork. The easiest way to remember is to work your way from the outside in.”

“Outside in.” Prompto looked down at what was, in his opinion, entirely more silverware than anyone should ever need. “Got it.”

“If there’s dessert, those utensils will be up here,” Ignis tapped next to them with a finger. “There’s also some foods that are customarily eaten with your hands; if in doubt, follow what the others at the table are doing.” A pause, and Ignis added, “Perhaps don’t follow His Highness - he never bothers to remember which fork goes when.”

Prompto couldn’t help but laugh quietly at that - out of relief as well as humor. It seemed like a very Noctis thing to do, and maybe if he were getting it wrong, it wouldn’t be so odd if Prompto got it wrong, too.

“I’ve never felt like it’s as complicated as television likes to make it look,” Ignis said. “Once you know the rules, it’s an easy system.”

“I think I prefer the system of having one fork you just lick clean.”

“If you must,” said Ignis with a sigh, but it wasn’t as heavy as it was earlier. Prompto wasn’t sure what changed since returning to the penthouse, but Ignis was actually being… well, not really nice to him. But not mean, either. Just… very accommodating.

Prompto wouldn’t argue with it - it was definitely an improvement over hostility. He just hoped this was a permanent change, and they wouldn’t go back to where they were before.

“Be sure you don’t sip soup, if soup is served. Try to keep any eating noises to a minimum. When you sit at the table, put the napkin in your lap - if you need to get up for any reason, place the napkin neatly back beside your plate, like so.” Ignis leaned over him to demonstrate. “And of course, keep good posture. Don’t slouch, or put your elbows on the table.” He rapped his knuckles against Prompto’s arm where he had done just that, and he quickly pulled his hands into his lap. “Any questions?”

He did have questions, probably an unreasonable amount. But Ignis’s instructions had been clear enough that he felt like he could follow them without pestering the man further. “I… think I’ve got it. Thanks a lot, uh… Mr. Scientia.”

Ignis seemed to hesitate, then he said, “Just Ignis is fine. If we’re going to be spending several days together, we might as well be familiar.”

“Oh, uh, okay!” Prompto grinned a little. “Ignis, then. So you should definitely call me Prompto.”

“Very well,” he agreed, sounding only moderately put out. He moved away to sit in another chair, facing Prompto. “Noctis will be happier, if we’re on a first name basis.”

It was the first time he’d heard Ignis refer to Noctis without any proper titles. He knew he shouldn’t do anything to ruin the comfortable mood that was starting to grow between them, but he couldn’t help but be curious.

“Have you known Noct- uh, Prince Noctis long?”

“Yes. Since I was a young boy, actually. Well before the war ended.”

“Is that when you decided you wanted to be an advisor when you grew up?”

Ignis actually laughed at that. “No, it’s more like I was appointed for the position, and then trained through my youth alongside Noctis in preparation for it.”

“Whoa. You must have been a smart kid.” Prompto had no idea how smart one had to be to get appointed to a job like this at such a young age (Ignis couldn’t be much older than himself, after all), but he knew it had to be much smarter than he himself was. “Did it ever bother you, having your whole life planned for you like that?”

As soon as the question left his mouth, Prompto jerked his whole body forward, like he was trying to snatch the question back. “Sorry, that… was probably a really personal question. You don’t have to-”

Ignis held up a hand to silence him, giving a light shake of his head. “It’s alright. Sometimes, I do wonder what I might have done if I hadn’t been selected…” Ignis glanced off down the table, at an imagined future Prompto couldn’t see. He didn’t seem particularly wistful, just contemplative, considering. It lasted only a moment, and when he looked back, he was smiling confidently. “But I wouldn’t trade my life as it is for anything.” His smile fell a bit. “Even if the prince makes some… ill-advised decisions, at times.”

“Oh.” Prompto chuckled nervously. “Sorry. Guess I’m one of those ill-advised decisions.”

“Hm, well.” Ignis tapped his fingers on the table. “Perhaps not as ill-advised as the time he got too impatient waiting for an elevator and tried to warp to the top of a twelve story building.”

Prompto replayed that sentence in his mind once. Twice. Three times.

Ignis looked perfectly serious. It couldn’t be some kind of joke.

“Uh… warped?”

Ignis’s lips quirked up. “Not familiar with the Crystal’s magic, are you?”

“Just rumors I heard from old military guys. I thought it was just, you know… exaggeration?”

“Hm… Maybe so.” He noticed that Ignis did _not_ elaborate, instead changing the subject. “Tell me then, Prompto. Have you lived in Gralea your whole life?”

“Uh, kinda? I guess I grew up outside the city, but I ended up here when the war ended.”

“Did your family move here together?”

“No.” Prompto looked down at the plates in front of him. “My parents… died. From the vanishing disease.”

“The Starscourge plague?” Ignis looked contrite. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It’s fine.” Prompto waved it away. “I mean, I was so young, I barely remember it.” He shrugged, trying to look cheery again. “A bunch of us kids were being looked after by the adults that were infected. Then the war ended, and some social workers took us back to the city.”

“I see. It must have been difficult.” Now it was Ignis looking down at his plate. “...My parents died in the war as well. I went to live with my uncle in Insomnia… that’s how I came to be acquainted with the royal family, and earned my position.”

“Oh.” Prompto felt genuine sadness pang at his heart. “I’m sorry, too… I guess that means we have something in common, though. Just, kinda the worst thing.”

Ignis matched his sad smile with a small one of his own. “Yes. I suppose we do have some common ground, though, as you say, it’s rather morbid ground.”

Prompto smiled bigger. “Well, you can count on me to have your back now, Ignis. War orphans have to stick together, right?”

Ignis raised an eyebrow. “I hope you remember that, the next time Noctis asks something ridiculous of the both of us.”

Ah, maybe he shouldn’t have promised that. But before he could formulate a response, Ignis was looking at his phone.

“Noctis will be here shortly. I suggest you go get changed, so you’re ready when he arrives.”

“Sure.” Prompto hopped up from the table, going over the place setting one more time in his head. Ignis got up as well, heading for the door, but before he could leave, Prompto called out, “Thanks for everything today, Ignis. Really.”

Ignis paused at the door. “Just doing my job,” he said simply, then turned once more to leave, only to look back at Prompto again.

“Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. They say that we hate the things in others that we see in ourselves. But sometimes it takes seeing those things we hate to show us some… areas we need to improve on.” Once more, he looked contrite. “I was very ugly to you this morning, and I apologize for that.”

“Oh.” Prompto felt a weight fall off his shoulders, and he smiled genuinely back at Ignis, to let him know all was forgiven. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Ignis also seemed to relax with this answer, though when he spoke again, his voice still had that formal tone to it - though not nearly so cold. “To be clear, I still don’t agree with His Highness’s decision, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. From now on, I’ll address my concerns to him, and leave you out of it. I hope that’s acceptable.”

“Uh, sure. Seems acceptable to me.” Despite this declaration, Prompto couldn’t help but keep grinning. “You know, Noct was right - you’re a pretty nice guy, Iggy.”

“..._Iggy_?” he heard Ignis echo, but he’d already shut the bedroom door.

* * *

Noctis was late. It really wasn’t so unusual for him to be late, and he’d heard enough lectures from Ignis that he could tune them out easily enough. But it felt different this time, somehow.

Even though Prompto was only a hired date, there was something thrilling about the idea that someone was waiting for him. Someone more than his usual retainers, of course.

He hurried into the hotel lobby, and looked around, finally spotting Ignis standing by a pillar, scrolling through something on his phone. He quick-stepped to him, fighting the urge to warp, and spoke up to get Ignis’s attention.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late.”

“I was starting to think we should just meet you over there,” said Ignis, sliding the phone back into his pocket.

“No, I have a date, remember?” Noctis grinned. “It’d look weird if we arrived separately. Where is he, anyway?”

“He’s in the bar. I think he mentioned something to loosen up.” Ignis gave a slight shake of his head. “Is Gladio with the car?”

“Yeah.”

“Then go get your _date_ and meet us outside.”

Ignis walked away, and Noctis turned to the hotel bar, a long dark room off the main lobby. Soft jazz music floated out of it, and he could see couples and small groups inside, chatting about business and pleasure over glasses of wine and scotch.

Walking in, he didn’t see Prompto immediately - he tried to find him by his hair at first, but blondes were hardly a rarity in Niflheim. He was starting to think Prompto had already gone out and they’d missed each other, when suddenly he heard a familiar voice just behind his shoulder.

“Hey. Come here often?”

He turned to be face-to-face with Prompto - and had to catch himself from staring too obviously.

The suit he’d found looked good on him, in a different way than the tight clothes and high boots from the night before had. He looked a little sharper, more handsome. He’d styled his hair down in a conservative style that made him look softer, especially in the bar light, and his eyes looked dazzling.

“Uh, hey,” he stuttered out, and instantly wanted to kick himself. “You look… great.”

“Thanks.” Prompto grinned. “You clean up pretty good, too. Except you’re wearing pretty much the same clothes I met you in, so, just cleaned, no up?”

“You’re butchering the line.”

“You don’t hear a lot of pick-up lines when you’re a sure thing,” Prompto joked in a low voice, and Noctis laughed, even as he felt himself flush.

Was it too late to cancel dinner and just stay at the hotel?

It was alright, though. He felt relaxed as he took Prompto’s arm and led him out of the bar and to the waiting car, noticing eyes on them, but for a wholly different reason than they had the night before. Probably admiring how damn handsome Prompto looked. He doubted they even realized it was the same guy, if they had seen him the night before.

_This is going to work. Ignis was worried for nothing._

The valet opened the car door for them, and he and Prompto slid into the back. They unlinked their arms as Ignis put the car in drive.

“Alright.” Noctis looked over at Prompto. “Ready to do this?”

He smiled back, though a little nervous. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Then, here we go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is a huge chapter and Noctis is barely in it.


	3. Chapter 3

“Whoa…”

The exclamation hit Noctis’s ear with a warm puff of air as next to him, Prompto took in the restaurant with wide, gleaming eyes and a slack jaw. It was endearing to watch him react with such unguarded awe to decor that was, in Noctis’s honest opinion, overly gaudy, but he still nudged Prompto’s side with an elbow. Time for some stage direction.

“Mouth shut, eyes forward. You want to look like you’ve been places like this all your life.”

“Oh, uh, right.” Prompto snapped his lips closed, though his eyes still sparkled as he glanced around. “Yeah. Totally not impressive at all.”

Noctis chuckled, but any further remarks were cut off by a serious looking man in a suit briskly approaching them.

“Prince Noctis. It’s our honor to have you and your guest with us for dinner tonight.” He bowed at the waist, and Noctis nodded his head in acknowledgement back. “If you’ll follow me right this way…”

“Thanks.”

Noctis trailed after him as they weaved past tables, nodding and smiling at the occasional comment from a diner who recognized him. Prompto stayed in step at his side, his hand resting comfortably on Noctis’s forearm.

“Do you know him?” he whispered, and Noctis glanced at him in confusion.

“Who?”

“That guy.”

“Uh, no. That’s the maître d’; his job is to know who the important guests are.”

“Oh! Haha, well… obviously. I knew that.” Prompto grinned sheepishly.

“Some people recognize a prince when they see one.”

Prompto pursed his lips. “It’s not my fault you didn’t act very princely the first time we met,” he groused, and Noctis smirked.

They were led to a private area off the main dining room, next to tall glass windows overlooking the city skyline. Pure white curtains were drawn to the side to make way for the view, interspersed with gilded gold columns. There were only a few other tables in the room, all filled with what Noctis assumed were guards, both his own and the secretary’s, dressed in plainclothes.

The secretary and his wife were already seated, but stood as the maître d’ led them closer. Tremellius was a portly man in his middle age, and judging by the color of his face the half full glass of wine at his place setting was not his first. He stuck out his hand for a handshake, and Noctis just managed not to make a face at how sweaty his palm was.

“Prince Noctis. I’m so glad you could join us tonight.”

“The pleasure is mine,” he lied smoothly, before turning his attention on Tremellius’s wife. She was about ten years younger than her husband, and she had an air of high society about her, but her eyes were sharp as she regarded Noctis. “And this must be your lovely wife.”

She held out her hand, and Noctis took it and kissed it politely. “Cecilia Tremellius. I’ve heard a lot about you, Prince Noctis. I’m delighted to meet you.” She turned her attention to Prompto now. “I didn’t know you were bringing a guest. How nice.”

“I thought we’d make it a double date.” Noctis slid his hand onto Prompto’s back, pushing him forward just a bit more. His muscles were stiff, but his expression showed no sign of it - good at acting, just like Noctis had hoped. “This is Prompto. He’s agreed to put up with me for the night.”

“It’s not as hard as he makes it sound,” Prompto said easily, holding out his hand to shake Secretary Tremellius’s. The man barely paid him attention, apparently having decided that Prompto was not someone important and therefore, not worth his time, but afterwards his wife held out her hand to him, as she had with Noctis, and her eyes were still just as sharp.

“It’s nice to meet you, Prompto.”

“A pleasure, ma’am,” he said, lifting her hand to his lips for a graceful kiss. It looked far more practiced than even Noctis’s, so much so that he found himself entranced by it: the way Prompto’s eyelids fluttered closed and his lips brushed against her knuckles. He might have a hard time not gawking at the scenery, he might fumble over the quirks of high society, but in this, the language of the body, Prompto was clearly an expert.

Noctis was almost jealous.

They sat down at the table, and Cecilia exchanged some small talk with Prompto about the weather while they all looked over their menus. Ignis had coached him on the ride over, and so far, Prompto was following instructions: use his real name, but only his first, avoid giving any sort of backstory (“The more details you give them,” Ignis had said, “the easier it is to catch you in a lie.”), and keep to surface level topics. Ignis and Noctis both had banked on their dinner partners’ assumption that Prompto was just a high class kid who was having a fling with Noctis but was otherwise of no importance, and that was proving true - at least, in Tremellius’s case.

The waiter soon returned, filling Noctis’s and Prompto's wine glasses before addressing the rest of them. "Are you ready to order?"

Tremellius jumped in immediately, asking the waiter's opinion about the appetizers. While he had the waiter's attention, Prompto leaned into him, his voice lowered.

"Noctis?"

"Yeah?"

"I... don't know what half of this stuff is." He looked at the menu, his brow furrowing. "Make that... most of it?"

"Oh, uh, right." Noctis should have thought of that sooner - most of these foods weren't things the average person would eat, and a lot of the menu items were in Tenebraen. Thinking about how he could _really_ go for a Crow's Nest hamburger right about then, Noctis reached over and, as suavely as possible, slid Prompto's menu away from him.

He noticed Cecilia watching them as he did so, and he smiled at her. "Prompto can never decide what to order." He looked at the man himself. "Want me to just do it for you?"

Prompto grinned back at him, like this was an in joke between them. "You know what I like."

Cecilia seemed satisfied with this excuse, turning her attention to the waiter as he came to her. Prompto didn't say anything more on the subject, but under the table, Noctis felt a hand gently squeeze his thigh.

He had to swallow down a cry of surprise, hoping to every single Astral that he wasn't blushing when the waiter came around the table for their order.

More small talk was exchanged, and then Noctis tried to get to the heart of the matter: the trade deal between Lucis and Niflheim. By that point, Tremellius was on his third glass of wine (at least), and Noctis had a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to get anywhere.

“I was hoping we could revisit our discussion about the coal tariffs from yesterday-”

“You didn’t want to try the duck? It’s so tender, I’m telling you, Highness-”

“I’m sure the veal will be just as good. About the tariffs?”

“Hm? Oh, right…”

Noctis launched into his practiced spiel, but Tremellius seemed to barely pay attention to him, his focus on his glass of wine or the skyline out the window. He spoke only occasionally, to say, “I don’t know about that,” or, “I’m not sure that would be agreeable,” with a condescending tone, and it was all Noctis could do not to get up and leave right then.

At least Prompto was a calming presence next to him, smiling whenever Noctis made eye contact. Prompto had a smile like a ray of sunshine from a blue sky, and he felt refreshed every time he saw it.

Soon their first course came, and that proved an even bigger distraction. Noctis had already written off the dinner as a failure, when Prompto suddenly set his napkin aside and spoke up.

“Noctis,” he said, a little sheepishly. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to use the restroom.”

“Oh, uh, it’s over there,” he answered, gesturing in its direction. Prompto did not move.

“Sorry, I’ve never been here before.” He directed his sheepish smile briefly at the Tremelliuses before looking back at Noctis. “Can you show me?”

It was a weird request, and Noctis very nearly told him to ask a waiter, but Prompto maintained eye contact with him, his smile growing more fake. Noctis felt worried - was something wrong?

“Uh, sure. Just a moment,” he said to their dining partners, then rose alongside Prompto and led him away from the table.

Once they were out of earshot, he lowered his voice. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re wasting your time with Tremellius.”

Noctis stumbled on his next step, staring at Prompto. That had not been what he’d expected at all. “What?”

“You’re wasting your time with him,” Prompto repeated easily, and Noctis scoffed.

“You think I don’t know that? I’m just going to tell Ignis this was a waste of time.”

“It’s not.” Prompto shook his head. “He doesn’t care about this, but his wife does.” He grinned. “She’s hanging off every word you’re saying, man. And… I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like any of it, so try a little harder to convince her.”

Noctis frowned. “But she isn’t the secretary.”

Prompto glanced around - by now they were in the hallway to the restroom, which was mostly deserted. “Listen, I’ve negotiated enough threesomes to know: if you can get the wife, the husband will follow.”

Thinking about Prompto and threesomes was dangerous territory. Noctis steered himself away from those thoughts, shaking his head. “This isn’t sex, Prompto.”

“If that’s what you really think.” Prompto shrugged, but his lips quirked up in a grin. “Why not try it, at least? You don’t have anything to lose now.”

Well, he had to admit that was true. Noctis nodded. “Alright. I’ll give it a shot.”

Prompto’s grin widened, and he gave Noctis a light punch on his shoulder. “Knock ‘em dead, Noct.”

Then he turned to the bathroom, leaving Noctis to return alone to the table.

“Sorry about that - he'd get lost in his own house."

"That's alright." Cecilia smiled at him graciously. "Don't let us distract you from your guest."

The way she said it made him think she probably thought they were making out in the bathroom hallway, which was definitely less suspicious than discussing strategy, so he let her think that, giving a coy shrug. "No distractions here. About those coal tariffs I was talking about..."

He trailed off, watching Cecilia's face. Her eyebrows had pinched, subtly but still apparent. Prompto had been right - she was paying way more attention than her husband, and he could use that to his advantage.

"I think... we could work to eliminate them, if that would help encourage trade between Lucis and Niflheim."

The pinch in her forehead lessened. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn here, but wouldn't that go against Lucis's green initiative policies?"

"Maybe, but there are places on the outskirts that don't have the infrastructure for renewable energy yet, and daemon attacks make it difficult to build it. I think there's room for coal from Niflheim in Lucis for another decade at least."

It wasn't a position he necessarily agreed with, but it was clear that it was something Niflheim was trying to get out of them, given the more satisfied look that appeared on Cecilia's face. If he could just grease the wheel with some concessions, maybe these trade talks would actually get somewhere.

"But we must be boring you with all this talk of trade, Mrs. Tremellius," Noctis added slyly, and she grinned.

"Not at all. I'd hate to get in the way of business." She looked over at her husband, giving his hand a squeeze. "Aren't you interested, dear?"

"Huh...? Oh, ah, right. So, you were saying earlier..."

Prompto came back as they were deep in discussion, Noctis following Cecilia's reactions the whole time. By the time their main course had arrived, Tremellius had sounded approving with regard to some concessions for Lucis in exchange for the lowering of coal tariffs, and talks were getting further than they had in days.

Prompto stayed quiet, other than to exchange the occasional small talk with Cecilia, but he had a smile on his face, and his free hand rested on Noctis's knee for the rest of dinner.

* * *

"I'd like to get some fresh air... Prompto, will you accompany me to the balcony?"

"Uh..." Prompto glanced at Noctis, caught off guard by the sudden invitation, but Noctis gave him a quick nod to indicate he should go. Their latest plates had been cleared to make way for dessert and final drinks, and Noctis and the Tremelliuses had finally ended their talk of trade deals for the night. "Sure. I'll come with you."

He got to his feet and followed her through the private seating area and out a large glass door, onto a private balcony for use of the guests. Below them, the lights of Gralea spread out in all directions, glittering and winking.

"You got a light?" Cecilia asked, leaning one hip leisurely against the railing. She opened her small handbag and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, jostling one loose into her fingers.

Prompto pulled his lighter out of his pocket, glad he'd had the sense to bring it with him. He didn't smoke himself, but always kept one in his boot in case a client wanted to. Women especially seemed to be into having him light their cigarettes for them - he'd heard it was a common move in fancy host clubs, too.

He flicked the lighter, then smoothly brought the flame to her cigarette, grinning and leaning in a bit as he did so. He wasn't entirely sure how to play the role of dashing socialite, but he felt like a little bit of his normal seduction technique couldn't hurt.

"Mm..." She took a drag of the cigarette, leaning back on the railing as the smoke filled her lungs, then pored back out of her mouth like a lazy dragon, dissipating into the clear night air. "Much better." Then she looked back at him, shaking her cigarette pack. "Want one?

"No thanks." He waved a hand. "I don't smoke."

"Heh. You young ones rarely do, these days." She put away the pack, swiveling to look out over the city. Prompto stepped up to the railing next to her, wishing he had his camera. This would make for a great shot.

"...It's been awhile since I saw a cheapo lighter like that," she remarked after a few moments of silence, and Prompto tensed his fingers on the railing. Did rich people not use the same lighters as everyone else? Did they have some kind of fancy lighters? He should have asked Ignis about this! "One of the first things my father did when he sold his company was buy a nice silver one with his initials on it. That and a bunch of expensive fountain pens."

"...I just never saw a reason in spending money on something like that," Prompto finally went with, cautiously, watching her face from the corner of his eye to see how she reacted. He braced himself for her to call him out on his apparent lack of wealth, but the stress leaked out of his shoulders as she nodded in agreement.

"It shows that you haven't forgotten your roots. I like that." She smiled wryly at him. "Around the old money like our men in there, new money like us need a way to find each other."

New money? Old money? Prompto filed that away on his list of things to ask Ignis about later. For now, he would just have to smile and nod.

Luckily, Cecilia didn't seem to notice his hesitation, and continued without him. "I've been married to that man for almost twenty years... And sometimes I still feel like our worlds are totally alien."

That was something he could relate to, at least. "Yeah, me too... Well, not the marriage part, obviously."

"But you know, when I see you and the Prince together... I don't know what it is, but you seem to fit. Hmm..." She exhaled smoke from her nose. "Maybe that's just what it's like to be young and in love..."

Once again, Prompto's shoulders tensed. _In love_!? She had to be joking.

"Noctis and I, uh... we haven't known each other that long," he said quickly, holding up his hands. "We're... taking it slow?"

"Really." It wasn't a question. She made a sound of disbelief. "That's why you kept grabbing his knee under the table?"

Prompto felt his face heat. "Ah- uh, you noticed?" Ignis was definitely going to have him killed...

Another snort from Cecilia. "Of course. Don't worry, though, my husband was too drunk to pick up on anything." She took another drag of her cigarette. "Well, it's not like I care. Whatever you said to him earlier, it worked. He totally changed tactics - started negotiating like he meant it. We might actually finish this trade deal after all."

"Uh, great? But I really didn't say anything to him..."

She chuckled, and crushed the butt of her cigarette into a nearby ashtray.

"You should stop lying, you know. You're not very good at it."

Prompto waited for her to reveal that she knew it all, had seen through their whole ruse and had him figured out, but she didn't, instead pushing off the railing to head back inside.

"Come now, let's not keep the important people waiting."

She flashed him a smile over her shoulder, and Prompto wondered if, impossibly, he'd made a friend.

* * *

"So, I guess that went... well?" Prompto ventured once they were back in the car. He couldn't say for sure, since most of the negotiations had soared over his head, but Cecilia certainly seemed pleased, and Noctis looked relieved where he slumped down in his seat.

"It went better than anything else we've tried. I think we're finally getting somewhere for the first time since I got here."

"Glad to hear it," Ignis said, sounding _genuinely_ glad to hear it. "I take it that having a dinner partner helped smooth things out?"

"Prompto did more than that." Noctis grinned at him. "He figured out that Mrs. Tremellius is the brains of the whole operation."

"It's not a big deal," Prompto said quickly when Ignis's gaze turn to him. "Mr. Tremellius was drunk, and Cecil- Mrs. Tremellius, she was actually paying attention." He shrugged sheepishly. "And usually if you can convince the wife..."

"I see." Ignis adjusted his glasses, but his lips quirked up in a smile. "Well done, Prompto. It seems the two of you made a better team than we'd hoped."

Noctis grinned smugly. "So you admit I had a good idea?"

"I only admit that Prompto has proven himself a good fit for the absolutely ridiculous position you came up with. I hope you thanked him."

Noctis rolled his eyes at Ignis, but then turned a sincere smile to Prompto. "Thanks. Really."

Prompto shrank a bit into his seat. "Seriously, I didn't do anything. It was all you."

"Are you guys gonna go around like that all night?" groused Gladio from the front seat, and Prompto found himself laughing along with Noctis. For the first time, the plush leather of the car seats and the fine threads on his body didn't feel quite so overwhelming. For the first time, he felt like he belonged.

* * *

"Ugh, finally." Noctis pulled off his tie and coat as soon as he got back in the suite, draping the garments over the back of the couch. Ignis came in behind him, scooping them up and whisking them away to be properly put away in the wardrobe. "Wanna play some King's Knight?"

"Sure." Prompto came over to join him, settling on the couch and pulling out his new phone. They were just booting the game up when Ignis returned, looking over the two of them.

"Is that what you're going to be doing all night?"

"Hmm..." Noctis glanced Prompto's way, his lips quirking up in amusement. "Maybe not _all_ night..."

"Right. This is where I take my leave." Ignis headed for the door, and Noctis and Prompto both exchanged snickers. "I'll be by in the morning to discuss both your schedules. Try to get _some_ sleep, if you would."

"Goodnight, Specs!" Noctis called as the door closed, then leaned into Prompto, bumping him lightly with his shoulder.

"By the way... he didn't give you too hard of a time today, did he?"

"Uh, well..." Prompto laughed, but it sounded strained. "He can be... a little, uh..."

"Terrifying?"

"_Yeah_."

"Ignis has that effect on people."

"But... he helped me out a lot today, too. I'm grateful to him."

The sincerity in his answer made Noctis relax, looking at his phone and pushing buttons on the game screen. "He can be intense, but he's just trying to keep the train on the tracks, you know?"

"You're lucky, to have people so devoted to you," Prompto said, and Noctis very nearly dropped his phone.

"...He's just doing his job, that's all. He's devoted to the crown, not me."

"No, he really cares about you. I can tell." Prompto said it airly, eyes still focused on the game. "That's why he's such a mama hen."

Noctis didn't answer that, staring down at his phone screen. The silence stretched on for awhile, then Prompto spoke up again.

"Uh, did I say something weird?"

"No. You didn't." But he couldn't keep the uncertainty out of his tone. It wasn't like he thought Ignis didn't like him, or anything like that - sometimes he even thought of Ignis like the older brother he never had. But it'd never really occurred to him that Ignis might feel the same. For Ignis, this wasn't a personal relationship, it was a job.

Like Prompto. Just business.

He was still silently mulling this over when Prompto suddenly sat the phone down, getting up and coming to stand in front of Noctis.

"You know what usually helps my other clients unwind after a long, hard day?" He gyrated his hips, and Noctis laughed.

"Will you give me three guesses?"

"Only if it's three things you want me to do to you. Or you want to do to me? I'm not picky."

"Hmm..." Noctis leaned his head back. "How about blowjob on me..."

"Uh-huh..."

"And then... rimming?"

"On you?"

"On _you_."

"Ooooooh." Prompto grinned. "Anything for his Highness."

Noctis threw a pillow at his face. As Prompto recoiled from the square hit, he continued. "And then I fuck you. In the bed this time."

"But I've started to think of the couch as our place."

Another pillow went flying. Prompto fended it off, laughing. "Alright, alright! Bed it is. You know, you can really be a-"

Whatever he was about to say was silenced as Noctis crashed into him, hands roving between them to find the buttons on Prompto's suit jacket. It was tempting to rip the whole thing off of him, but Noctis refrained, undoing the buttons and sliding the coat into the floor.

A trail of clothes fell behind them like breadcrumbs as they made their way to the bed, attached at the mouth the whole time. Prompto broke away long enough to retrieve some a condom from his stash ("Safety first!"), and once again, the deft, efficient way he got it on made Noctis's heart race oddly in his chest.

"The way you do that is sexy," he admitted, then immediately wanted to throw himself off the balcony. Prompto laughed, pushing him back on the bed and sliding between his knees.

"That's a new one on me."

"I'm trying to keep it fresh."

"Oh don't worry, you are," said Prompto, and before Noctis could ask him to elaborate, his mouth was full of dick.

He still tapped on Noctis's thigh as he sucked on him, like he was timing himself. The rhythm started slow, then increased in tempo as he pushed Noctis to full erection, ending with a crescendo of finger taps that matched his movement. Noctis melted back on the sheets as his nerve endings lit up, every part of him alive and focused on what Prompto was doing.

"And now..." he said as he pulled back, grinning down at Noctis, "I think there's something you wanted to do to me?"

He grinned, but didn't move from his spot. "There is."

"Are you going to get up to do it, or are you going to keep being lazy?"

"Hmm..." Noctis hummed as though considering, but laid still on the pillows, not making any moves. After a moment of waiting, Prompto grinned wickedly, and got up.

"Alright, Noct. Have it your way."

He hovered over Noctis until he was squatting over him, and then sat down on Noctis's face.

Being buried in Prompto's pert ass as even more exciting than he expected. Prompto was at least courteous enough to not completely suffocate him, not that, in that moment, Noctis would mind that much. It definitely would have led to an awkward press day for Ignis, but instead, there was just enough pressure to feel Prompto all over his skin, but plenty of room to move.

"Comfy?" he tried to say.

Prompto laughed. "I can't understand you, you know."

He started to say something else, then thought better of it, settling for sticking out his tongue, and licking. Just one slow circle, right around the shallowest edge.

Above him, he felt Prompto shiver, and couldn't suppress a shudder in return.

Another lick, slow and deliberate. Methodical, taking his time like Prompto did, imagining the taps of those fingertips on his thighs.

One two, three, four, one, two, three, four, a lazy legato, clockwise. Above him, Prompto moaned appreciatively, in time with his movements. Noctis reached up to grab at his thighs, to feel the way they trembled as he held himself up, every muscle taut with strain and pleasure.

He kept it up, moving his tongue faster now, quick but thorough licks around Prompto's whole rim. Prompto was panting and moaning more now, giving him a show for his efforts. He rewarded one particularly enticing moan by prodding his tongue deeper into Prompto's ass, who gave an accompanying yip of surprise.

"Just a little extra," Noctis said with a laugh.

"I still can't understand you," Prompto admonished, but his tone was light. He rolled off Noctis then, collapsing on the bed next to him. His cock was hard, and Noctis wondered if he had played with himself to speed up the process. A pity he couldn't see it.

He pushed himself up and over Prompto, taking his turn to do the hovering. "Do I need to loosen you up?"

"I can take care of it."

"That's alright." Noctis reached for the bedside table, grabbing the lube Prompto had set there. "Your arms must be tired."

"It's fine. I have a lot of stamina."

Noctis frowned. "I'm not lazy all the time, you know."

"I didn't say that," Prompto replied innocently.

Noctis frowned at him a moment longer. Then he coated his fingers in lube, and slipped two of them in Prompto's ass, working him open fast.

Prompto's mouth opened in a slight, "oh," as he started, softening into a pleasured expression as his head sunk back on the pillows and he began to pant in time with Noctis's movements. Noctis tried to match the efficient way he'd watched Prompto finger himself the night before, not going long before sliding a third finger in. Prompto's fists clutched the sheets, and soft gasps escaped his lips, but he did not protest.

After Prompto seemed prepared, he pulled his fingers back out, then hovered over him again.

"Ready?"

"Go for it."

He slipped into Prompto like he fit there. The warmth of his flesh around Noctis's cock, growing ever more familiar, sent an urgent rush of need through him, and he began to thrust, eyes on Prompto's as he went.

Those blue, blue eyes, like the sky on a cloudless day. They were wide and a little misty, and he could see himself reflected in them, filling all of Prompto's vision, the way he was sure Prompto did in his eyes, endlessly refracting off each other.

He didn't last much longer than the night before. As he pulled out and sank down, boneless, on top of Prompto, he couldn't hold back a satisfied sigh, buried into the crook of Prompto's neck.

He could have fallen asleep just like that, but there were things to attend to. Sometime, before the week was up, he would have to give Prompto more than a lazy handjob, but it didn't seem tonight was that night.

Still, as Prompto removed Noctis's condom and tossed it in the bedside trash can, then settled in next to him under the sheets, the smile on his face seemed genuinely happy. Noctis could almost believe it was real, as he closed his eyes, and fell into dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

Thankfully, no one burst in on them the next morning.

Noctis woke up on his own, instinctively stretching to get the kinks out of his back. Prompto was standing in front of the window, wearing his white dress shirt from dinner like a nightgown, a mug cradled in his hands.

When he heard Noctis stir, he turned around, smiling.

“I made some coffee… is that okay?”

“Yeah-” Noctis’s answer collapsed into a yawn, and Prompto chuckled. “You’re welcome to anything here. Have at it.”

“Thanks.” Prompto took a sip, watching Noctis. “Do you want some?”

“Sure.” He sat up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. “Why don’t you order us some breakfast, too? Anything you want.”

“Spoil a guy, why don’t you?”

Once Prompto had left, Noctis went to the bathroom to freshen himself up and get some clothes on. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noticed the normal bags under his eyes were less pronounced this morning. For once he actually looked rested. Amazing what having a productive meeting could do for his stress levels.

And after having sex with Prompto he slept like a rock. That probably had something to do with it, too.

By the time he joined Prompto in the front room, their breakfast had been delivered, spread out over the table. Prompto was already helping himself to a ridiculously large plate of food, but Noctis didn’t do anything to stop him, grabbing some bacon and a couple muffins for himself.

“Couldn’t decide?” he asked, looking over the varied selection, and Prompto grinned sheepishly.

“I’ve never eaten this good in my whole life, so…” A shrug. “As long as you’re footing the bill, might as well enjoy it.”

Something about that felt… very sad, but Noctis pushed it away in favor of grinning. “I _did_ say whatever you want.”

“Mmhmm. You did. And I didn’t forget.”

Breakfast passed amicably; Noctis turned on the morning news, which he and Prompto quickly ignored in favor of chatting about the food and the weather in Gralea. Trite conversation, but easy, and Noctis felt more relaxed than he had in ages, watching Prompto’s bright smile as he talked about the photos he could take in fall, as the leaves on the mountains changed to bright, fiery colors; the way snow would blanket the city in the winter, making everything feel soft and quiet. Prompto had such a delight for life itself, a way of soaking in details others missed. Noctis doubted he could talk half as eloquently about Insomnia.

But the easy morning could not last. Ignis came in just as they were finishing up, giving only a cursory knock of warning.

“Good morning, Your Highness, Prompto.”

“Hey.”

“Morning, Iggy!”

Noctis looked between Prompto and Ignis, but Ignis didn’t say anything about the nickname, just looked down at his phone. He couldn’t hold back a grin, and quickly hid it behind a show of wiping off his mouth with his napkin. So much for Ignis playing the tough guy.

“I’ve sent schedules for the day to both your phones. There’s a charity ball tonight that you should make an appearance at.” Ignis directed this last sentence at Prompto.

“A ball…? Like, with dancing?”

“I don’t like dancing,” Noctis chimed in.

“You should at least _attempt_ to dance. Especially now that you have a partner.”

“Ugh. Fine.” Noctis looked back at Prompto. “You okay with that?”

“I don’t know how good I’ll be, but…”

“It’s fine. I just shuffle around on the dance floor.”

“Then it’s decided,” said Ignis. “The two of you will go to the ball, and dance, at least enough for the other attendees’ satisfaction. Now,” his attention was fully on Noctis, “there is something we need to discuss.”

“What’s up?”

“Let’s go to my room. Forgive us, Prompto, but this is something above your security clearance.”

“Oh, no problem. Go do your prince thing.” He got up from the table, walking backwards toward the couch. “I’ll just,” he gestured at the TV, “learn about new spring drink favorites.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Noctis assured him, then followed Ignis out of the penthouse.

“What’s up?” he asked once they arrived, the door firmly shut behind them. “Is Dad okay?”

“Yes, His Majesty is fine.” Ignis crossed the room to the table, grabbing a folder and holding it out to Noctis. “I had our intelligence team look into Prompto.”

Noctis took the folder, but didn’t open it. He did note it was surprisingly light. “What did they find?”

“Nothing.”

Relief flooded him. “Hey, that’s good, right? If he doesn’t have an arrest record-”

“I don’t mean no arrest record. I mean they found _nothing_. No birth certificate, no record of a Prompto Argentum matching his age and description in the Niflheim foster care system, no taxes, no voting records, no school attendance.”

Noctis’s brow furrowed. “You think he’s using a fake name?”

“That was our first assumption.” Ignis fiddled with his glasses, like he was looking at a particularly difficult puzzle. “But his phone has been recording data from his fingerprints. We couldn’t find a match under any name, except for a false positive.”

He gestured at the folder, and Noctis opened it. Inside were only a few sheets of paper: the report that mostly recounted what Ignis was telling him, and a single arrest record.

Noctis’s eyes roamed over the sheet. “...This man died in prison two years ago.”

“Yes.” Ignis nodded. “As far as we can tell, that is correct.”

“But his prints matched Prompto’s?”

“It’s not entirely unheard of, as I’m sure you remember from your lessons on the criminal justice system.” Noctis grimaced, so Ignis went ahead and filled him in. “Our fingerprints are unique, but they can still be similar enough in pattern to confuse a human, or even a computer. False arrests have been made on false positive fingerprint IDs in the past, which is why they cannot be the deciding evidence in a criminal trial. At least, not in Lucis.”

“So this guy,” Noctis waved the sheet, “is just a coincidence?”

“Most likely. I suppose we can’t _entirely_ rule out the possibility that Prompto faked his death in prison, but it seems unlikely.”

“So what _is_ going on, Specs?” Noctis hated himself for what he was about to say, but he had to ask, “Do you think Prompto’s… what, a Niflheim plant?”

“No, I don’t think that’s likely, either.” Ignis frowned, thinking. “If he’s a spy, whoever sent him would have to know that we’d look into his background. Creating fake government documents, foster papers, maybe an arrest record for solicitation, would all be much less suspicious than nothing at all.”

“So you think he’s ghosting his own government, for other reasons.” Noctis’s brow furrowed. “Illegal immigrant?”

Ignis nodded. “I think that’s the most likely explanation. It would explain the lack of papers and…” He searched for the wording. “...his choice of work.”

“So he might be a refugee…”

“He said as much, when we talked yesterday. He said he came to Gralea after his parents died from the Starscourge plague, and… What?”

Noctis was staring at him. “He told you all that?”

“Yes. We had a bit of chat about… things the war had taken from us.” Ignis was careful to keep his expression passive. “Why?”

“He just… hasn’t told _me_ that,” Noctis blurted out, feeling stupid even as he did. It’s not like it was any of his business what had happened to Prompto’s family… But still, opening up to _Ignis_, who he thought was terrifying, instead of Noctis?

“...Noct,” Ignis said slowly, and he sounded almost amused. “Are you _jealous_?”

“What!?” And that got him to snap back to reality, leaving his stewing thoughts behind. Jealous!? “There’s nothing to be jealous of. Prompto can tell whoever whatever he wants.”

“Hm.” Ignis still sounded amused, but graciously moved on. “As it is, though, it seems like the most likely explanation. There was a great push-back from the citizenry of Niflheim with regards to refugees from other countries during and after the war, especially here in Gralea. I’m sure Prompto is hardly the only illegal immigrant out on the streets.”

“So you think he’s okay? To stay here, I mean.”

“I think… Prompto is most certainly keeping things from us. But I don’t believe it’s for malicious reasons.” He sighed. “Maybe that’s shortsighted of me. He could be a very good actor. But I don’t feel any ill will from him.”

“...Yeah. Me neither.” Noctis smiled. “Whatever his story is… he’s a good person, Specs, I know it.”

“Very well. I’ll trust your intuition for now. But we’re going to keep monitoring his phone, just in case.”

“I can live with that.”

Ignis nodded, seeming relieved. “Then we should probably get back. I’d hate to keep you here any longer and make _Prompto_ jealous next-”

Noctis shoved the file back into Ignis’s hands and turned for the door. “Shut up, Ignis.”

* * *

When they returned to the penthouse, Prompto was still where they left him, playing King’s Knight while the TV tried to convince him to purchase an amazing new product to core apples. He turned and smiled at them as they came back in, and Noctis couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Hey.”

“Welcome back.” He turned off the game and locked the phone, hopping up. “Iggy, I was wondering what I should do about getting my suit cleaned? To be ready for tonight.”

A look Noctis didn’t wholly recognize crossed Ignis’s face, but his voice was measured when he answered, “I rather thought you would wear something else.”

Prompto seemed to deflate. “Oh. Great. More shopping…”

Noctis frowned; something was definitely wrong here. “You only bought that one outfit? I thought you bought at least a few things…”

“Yeah, uh…” Prompto fiddled with his bangs. “It… wasn’t as fun as I thought it was going to be.”

Noctis stared at him, uncomprehending, before turning a searching gaze towards Ignis.

“A local shop didn’t think Prompto matched their… expected clientele. So they wouldn’t serve him.”

“_What_? Are you serious?” Ignis nodded, and Noctis turned back to Prompto. “Because you were wearing the clothes I met you in?”

“Yeah. They, uh… probably figured out what I am the second they saw me.”

Noctis pressed his lips into a thin line. “Ignis. Do I have anything this morning?”

Ignis sighed, but said, “Nothing urgent.”

“Good. Clear it.” He turned and stalked toward the bedroom, already unbuttoning his shirt. “We’re going shopping.”

He emerged a minute later, wearing black jeans with a tear at the knee, pulling a black t-shirt over his head, a ball cap held in his free hand.

“I’m wearing _this_.”

Ignis sighed once more in disapproval, but Prompto was laughing, and that was enough for Noctis.

* * *

Prompto was once again walking down the street wearing his skinny jeans, tank top, and boots, and once again people were looking his way. But this time, Noctis’s hand was on the small of his back, guiding him forward, his small entourage bringing up the rear.

“People are staring,” he muttered and Noctis shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it. They’re looking at me, not you…” A pause, and Noctis added, “Or they’re looking at Gladio.”

Gladio snorted in amusement from behind them.

“Well… guess he _is_ taller than everyone else here,” Prompto conceded, and Noctis grinned.

“So don’t worry about it. Come on.”

They didn’t go back to the store Prompto had visited before, instead heading into a larger men’s store with a bit more selection. Once again, there weren’t immediately visible price tags on the clothes, and it was dizzying to remember that he didn’t have to worry about that.

“Can I help you?” the sales clerk who greeted them snapped, clearly eyeing their clothes, until he got close enough to see Noctis’s face. Then his eyes went wide, jaw a bit slack. “You’re… P-prince Noctis?”

“That’s me.”

His eyes roved over what Noctis was wearing, incredulous, but he didn’t say anything. “What can I help you with today, Your Highness?”

Noctis casually looped an arm around Prompto’s waist, pulling him in closer. “We’re shopping for him, actually.” Now he turned to grin at Prompto full on. “Anything you want, babe.”

Prompto bit back giggles - the word “babe” sounded a bit ridiculous coming out of Noctis’s mouth like that, but Noctis was playing a part as much as he was now. “Really, I just need a few things-”

“Anything you want,” Noctis repeated pointedly, before turning back to the clerk. “You might want to get a few more people to help us. We’re going to be spending a lot of money today…” He smiled at Prompto again. “If you treat him nicely.”

“Oh, yes sir!” said the man quickly, and he turned and called to the other men and women working the store. Before Prompto knew what was happening, he was surrounded, all of them talking to him at once.

“Here, try this!”

“Oh, this would look excellent on you, quite dashing!”

“Here, try this shirt, it’ll bring out the color of your eyes!”

Prompto looked past all of them to seek out and meet Noctis’s eyes. He must have looked a bit desperate, because Noctis chuckled and said, “Not all at once now. Give him some air.”

On cue, they all stepped back, each holding out an outfit for him to try on and looking at him expectantly. Prompto shook his head to clear it, then looked over the selection. He pointed at a pair of khakis and a polo shirt one of the men was holding.

“Guess I’ll need a few casual things?”

Immediately, he was being whisked off to the fitting room, the sound of clerks scrambling for more clothes and Noctis, Gladio and even Ignis laughing behind him.

* * *

They left the store almost three hours later, with Prompto wearing a new casual collared top, khakis that ended at his mid-shin, loeffers, and a giant grin. His ample shopping bags were divided between the four of them, containing over a dozen outfits that Prompto had picked out and Noctis had approved from his spot outside the fitting room.

“I’d say that went pretty well. You should have enough clothes for the rest of the week now.”

Prompto sighed. “Thank goodness. Those guys are pretty scary even when they’re being nice.”

“Don’t blame them now,” Ignis chimed in. “They’re just trying to fill their coat-a.”

Noctis groaned at the same time Prompto let out a startled laugh, twisting to look back at Ignis. “Did you just make a pun, Iggy?”

“Don’t encourage him.”

“I’m just surprised he even knows how to make a pun.”

“Heh, I know, right? It’s amazing he even has a sense of humor,” said Gladio.

“We all need our little amusements.”

“We all need lunch.” Noctis rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. “And then maybe a nap. Shopping shouldn’t be this exhausting… Uh, Prompto?”

The other man had fallen out of step with him suddenly, and Noctis stopped to look back, Ignis and Gladio doing the same. Prompto was frozen in front of an audio/video store a few feet away, entranced by a display of shiny, state-of-the-art cameras.

“See something you like?”

Prompto jumped in surprise as Noctis rejoined him, tearing his eyes from the shop window. “Oh, uh, just… you know. The cameras are nice.”

“Want to take a look?”

“No, that’s okay.” Prompto shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I couldn’t afford anything in there, anyway.”

Noctis shrugged. “Looking’s free, right?”

Ignoring Prompto’s stuttered protests, Noctis pushed him into the store. It was full of video cameras, speakers, TVs, and microphones, but Prompto went straight for the camera display, looking over the selection with wide eyes.

“Dude. They have _all_ the latest models in here.” His earlier hesitancy gone, he fluttered between the cameras, pointing to different ones as he talked about them. “This one has a special lens to take great action shots… Oh, and this one has modes so you can take night shots! And this one…”

Noctis let Prompto’s technobabble wash over him, following him as he walked around the shelves. It was adorable to hear him talk so passionately about something like this; it was clear that Prompto’s heart was in photography.

Once again, Noctis wondered why he didn’t pursue it professionally, but then he remembered the empty file Ignis had handed him.

_Right. Hard to build a career when you’re afraid of being deported._

Still, whenever he thought of Prompto’s old, abused camera, his heart panged with sorrow. Prompto deserved something better than that. A lot better.

He’d already known what his decision would be, before he even came in.

“Hey.” He put his hand on the small of Prompto’s back again, interrupting him mid-ramble about perspective control lenses. “Why don’t you pick one out?”

It took Prompto a moment to understand. “Wait, you mean… No, I couldn’t ask for that!” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m pretty sure that’s outside our, uh… arrangement.”

“It isn’t.” Noctis shrugged. “That old camera you have doesn’t look like the kind of thing a rich socialite would carry around. This is for appearances.”

“I can just, you know… not take photos while we’re together,” Prompto reasoned.

“Sure, but…” Noctis averted his eyes, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “I want to see what kind of pictures you would take.”

Gladio said something under his breath behind them that Noctis couldn’t hear, but he was pretty sure it earned him an elbow in the ribs from Ignis.

“O-oh! Well, uh, in that case…” Prompto was blushing when Noctis looked back at him, and he had to avert his eyes again. “I mean, if you really insist… I guess I can pick one out, then. Just for appearances.”

“Yeah. For appearances.”

In the end, he chose one of the cheaper models in the store, and Noctis chose not to push. Cheap for this high-end store _was_ still far fancier than anything Prompto could likely afford, he knew, and Prompto seemed to burst with excitement as they exited the store and he snapped a few quick pics of the street outside.

“Look how crisp that resolution is,” he gushed, leaning in so Noctis could see. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

Noctis nodded. “You have a great eye.”

“I just take what looks good,” he said dismissively, but he was blushing again. He looked away, still fiddling with his camera, while Ignis cleared his throat to get Noctis’s attention.

“I believe lunch was mentioned before that little detour?”

“Oh yeah.” Noctis moved to stand with Ignis and Gladio, leaving Prompto to play with his camera. “What’s around here, Specs? And make it somewhere with _real_ food. I’m sick of the tiny portions at all these fancy places…”

“Well, it depends on what you’re hungry for. Tenebrean, Altissian, Lucian…”

“Can’t we just hit up a Crow’s Nest? I miss grease...”

Ignis sighed but didn’t argue. “The nearest Crow’s Nest is several blocks away. It’d take us at least ten or fifteen minutes to get there on foot.”

“Still worth it.”

“I’m good with that,” Gladio agreed. “I spend too much time sitting around while we’re here, anyway.”

“Very well…”

Noctis turned his head to ask if Prompto was also alright with it, but a _click_ interrupted his thoughts, and he found the lens of Prompto’s camera trained on them, Prompto hunched a bit as he took the photo. When he realized they were all looking at him, he lowered the camera, suddenly sheepish.

“Uh, I just thought… well, the way you guys are standing, it was good shot composition.” He smiled nervously. “Should I delete it, or…”

“No. It’s fine,” said Noctis quickly, shooting a glance at Ignis. Ignis met his eyes but said nothing, and Noctis continued, “Why don’t you show us?”

Perking up, Prompto turned the camera to show them. It really was a good shot, Noctis had to admit, with the buildings rising up on one side and the street framing them on the other.

“Hey. I look good in this,” said Gladio with approval.

“What about me and Ignis?”

“You guys are fine too.”

“I could do better if we had some better lighting,” Prompto offered, but Noctis shook his head.

“It’s great, Prompto. But it’d probably look better if we had a shot of all of us.”

Prompto’s uncertain look turned into a cautious smile, which grew brighter as no one tried to stop him. “Well, alright. If you insist, _Your Highness._”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Just get in here.”

Prompto came to stand with them, and they all leaned in closer as he held the camera out at arm’s length, angling it to catch them all.

“Say cheese!”

Afterword, when he showed them the picture, Noctis was surprised to see that his smile was just as wide as Prompto’s.

* * *

“Wow. This is a lot of limousines.”

It was later that evening - Noctis and Prompto were seated in the back of the Regalia with Ignis driving and Gladio up front. As Prompto had observed, they were one of the few passenger cars in a sea of limousines, dropping celebrities, politicians, and businessmen off for the charity dinner, which was being held in a ritzy event hall not far from their hotel.

“Yes, this is quite a large event. A veritable who’s who in Gralea,” said Ignis, eyes focused ahead as he eased their car through the line. “You know what to do, don’t you, Prompto?”

“Stick with Noct, speak when spoken to, don’t give any unnecessary details.”

“Good. And try to dance a little.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

“And show some enthusiasm. Here we are.”

The door was swung open by a man in a suit, who bowed at the waist for Noctis as he emerged. Prompto clambered out next, and Noctis extended his arm for him to take. The usher gestured them up the stairs - behind them, the door was closed and the Regalia pulled away with the other retreating cars, to return for them later.

“Well,” said Noctis, keeping Prompto close, “here we go.”

The doors were pulled open for them, and they entered into a cavernous ballroom, lavishly decorated in reds and golds. A sign with the name of the charity greeted them, surrounded by tables that seated five or six, many of them full with guests eating and chatting. A long buffet table lined one wall, not far from an open bar where two bartenders hustled to fill glasses. Coat-tailed waiters slid between guests, taking empty plates or offering to fetch refills.

Beyond the tables and the mingling guests was a broad dance floor, only about a third full at the moment. A live band was on a small stage on the other side of it, playing a lively classical piece.

“Tsk. We’re supposed to dance to _that_?” muttered Noctis under his breath, turning back to Prompto for agreement. Prompto was barely paying him any attention, though, looking around the room with wide, amazed eyes.

It looked indistinguishable from dozens of other similar events Noctis had attended in his lifetime, but Prompto looked at it all with fresh eyes. It struck Noctis that he and Prompto might both be from Eos, but they really were from entirely different worlds.

“...Wow. This is some fancy party.” Prompto held up his new camera, hanging from a strap around his neck. “Mind if I…?”

“Go ahead,” said Noctis with a wave of his hand, and Prompto broke away from him, moving a bit further back so he could get wide shots of the ballroom. Noctis watched him for a bit, admiring the way he bent his lean body to take shots from different angles, before someone called his name and he was forced into rounds of niceties with other guests.

Some interminable amount of trite and surface level conversations later, Prompto reappeared at his arm, holding two glasses of wine, one white and one red. “A waiter offered me these, and I wasn’t sure what you liked, so…” he explained, trailing off as Noctis grabbed one and took a sip. “White. Okay!”

“Wine’s not my first choice, but you get used to it after enough of these things.”

“Yeah. I’d rather have a beer but they didn’t have any…” Prompto took a gulp of the wine. “What is this a charity for, anyway?”

“Hungry kids, I think.”

“After paying for this fancy shindig, is there even any money left for the kids?”

“I guess. Tickets are pretty expensive…”

“Seems like it’d be easier to just _give_ the kids the money…”

Noctis couldn’t help but laugh. “Rich people need incentive to be parted with their money. Unfortunately.” His eyes scanned the room, and he tugged on Prompto’s arm. “Hey, there’s someone I want you to meet. Come on.”

He led Prompto through the sea of people towards the buffet, and a familiar head of blonde hair. “Hey, Luna!” he called across the crowd, and Luna turned to meet his eyes, smiling and holding up a hand before trying to extricate herself from her current conversation.

“That’s… that’s Lady Lunafreya,” Prompto squeaked from next to him, and Noctis looked at him in surprise. “_The_ Lady Lunafreya!”

“You know who she is?”

“Of course I know who she is! Everyone knows who she is!” Prompto blanched as she said goodbye to the group she was talking to and turned to come their way. “Noct, we can’t lie to her. She’s the _Oracle_! What if the Astrals tell her about us!?”

“I’m pretty sure the Astrals have bigger things to worry about.”

“How do you know? She might call the Fulgurian to strike us down!”

“You’re being ridiculous. Luna’s nice.”

Any further bickering was cut off by Luna arriving within earshot, smiling and holding out an arm to Noctis. “Noctis, it’s so good to see you again.”

“Hey, Luna.” He stepped into her hug, giving her a quick embrace and being careful not to spill wine on her white dress. “How are you?”

“I’m just fine, thank you. Preparing to leave Gralea and continue my tour of Niflheim.”

Noctis deflated a bit at that. “When are you leaving?”

“The day after tomorrow, if all goes as planned.” Her smile turned gentle, clearly catching his change in mood. “Don’t worry, I’ll have Umbra bring you letters, as always.”

He couldn’t help but grin. “You can just text me, you know?”

“But sending letters has its own charm,” she said with a grin back, before turning her attention to Prompto. “But forgive me, I’ve completely neglected your guest.”

“Right. Luna, this is Prompto.” He let go of Prompto’s arm, taking a half step back from them. “Prompto, this is Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Luna with a slight bow of her head, holding out her hand for Prompto. Prompto took it, blushing ever so slightly.

“The pleasure is mine, Lady Oracle,” he managed, voice strained, but he kissed her hand as smoothly as he ever had.

“Please, no need to be so formal; call me Luna. After all, a friend of Noctis’ is a friend of mine.”

“Uh, sure! Then it’s nice to meet you, uh… Lady Luna.”

She chuckled but didn’t correct him. Noctis led them over to one of the tables that had been vacated and they sat down, Noctis and Prompto next to each other and Luna across. Waiters came by and offered them food and drink, setting it in front of them.

“Forgive me, Prompto, but I’m a bit surprised to see you. Noctis doesn’t normally bring dates.”

Prompto laughed. “That’s what I’ve been hearing.” He leaned in a bit towards Noctis. “Guess he couldn’t resist me.”

“It’s not like that,” Noctis groused, bumping Prompto’s shoulder with his own. “We’re keeping it casual, but Prompto agreed to put up with me for tonight.”

“How did you two meet?”

“It was the other night, after I left,” said Noctis quickly, taking the lead. “I got kinda lost in Gralea… Prompto was kind enough to give me directions, and we hit it off, so I asked him to dinner.”

It was close enough to the truth to come off as believable. Sure, it skipped a few crucial steps in between, but Luna didn’t have to know.

Her eyes twinkled in amusement. “So you _did_ have more fun after you escaped the party. I hope Ignis wasn’t too mad.”

“He took it better than I would have thought.” Also true enough.

“Still seemed pretty scary to me,” Prompto muttered, and Noctis knocked their knees together under the table.

“Well, I’m still glad he met you, Prompto.” Luna smiled at him. “It’s been some time since I last saw Noctis smile at one of these events.”

A light blush tinged Prompto’s cheeks. “Well, I’m glad I can make him smile.”

Noctis tore his eyes away to stare into his wine glass. “You guys are making me sound like a grouch, you know?”

They both laughed. Noctis hoped he wasn’t blushing, too.

They chatted for a few minutes more before Luna was pulled away by another dignitary at the event. The band transitioned to a slow waltz, and a few couples started to filter out to dance.

Noctis caught Prompto’s eyes, shrugging in the direction of the dance floor. “We did promise Ignis.”

“Guess we did. Heh.” Prompto set his empty plate aside, his camera next to it, and rolled his neck and shoulders. “Ready when you are.”

Noctis got up from the table, offering his arm to Prompto once more. “Well then. Shall we?”

Prompto rose to meet him. “After you, Your Highness.”

He led Prompto out, not venturing too deep into the circling couples. He took a stance to lead, then had to drop it when Prompto looked lost on where to put his hands.

“One hand on my shoulder, and hold my hand with the other,” he instructed, guiding him into the correct position. “And I’ll hold you just under your shoulder blade.”

Prompto glanced around at the other couples as they started to move. “Am I the girl?”

“Only because you don’t know what to do. I’ll let you lead next time.”

He started to lead, moving them back and forth while Prompto learned the steps; the way his eyebrows bunched up in concentration was adorable. But he picked it up quickly, and they joined the circle with the other dancers, moving in time.

“You’re light on your feet,” Noctis commented after he spun Prompto around.

“I jog whenever I can. Keeps my legs in good shape.”

“Huh. I can see the benefits.” Noctis shook his head. “Don’t tell Gladio I said that, he’ll make me get up early to go on his morning run.”

Prompto laughed. “I’ll keep my mouth shut. I don’t even want to know what that guy’s workout routine must be like…”

“It’s a nightmare, trust me.”

The waltz was drawing to a close. Noctis turned mischievous.

“Ready for the dip?”

“Dip!?”

“It’s just a little one, you’ll be fine.”

“Just don’t drop me. That floor looks hard.”

Noctis was tempted to just for that, but concussing his date probably wouldn’t help with the ruse they were putting on. So as the song ended, he kept a firm hold on Prompto’s back and tipped him, careful not to overbalance him.

But _boy_ could Prompto dip. He bent back over Noctis’s arms, his knuckles just hovering over the floor where he held his hands above his head.

_He’s so flexible._

Noctis shook those thoughts away as he pulled Prompto back up. Prompto was grinning, glowing with excitement.

“Hey, that wasn’t too bad!”

“Yeah. You catch on fast.”

“Well, you were pretty good at leading.”

“It’s not that impressive. I used to take ballroom dancing classes.”

“Oh yeah. Heh. Guess that’s normal for royalty.”

The band had moved on to a slow song, and Noctis pulled Prompto back into position, a hand on his waist now. “One more?”

“Sure.”

This time they just swayed back and forth, close together like the other couples. At this distance, Noctis could fully see the freckles on Prompto’s nose and under his eyes, the sharp blue of his eyes, his full, pink lips…

_I don’t kiss on the mouth._

Noctis caught himself, stumbling. He hadn’t realized how close he was until Prompto’s words came rushing back, and he remembered.

This wasn’t a date. This was business. And he’d almost broken one of their agreements.

“Whoa, you okay?” Prompto asked, sliding his hand down to rest on Noctis’s arm for support. His gentle smile had turned to concern, and Noctis silently cursed himself.

“Y-yeah. Just… my back, acting up. My leg’s getting stiff.”

Which wasn’t a complete lie - his back really was starting to hurt. He _had_ walked quite a bit earlier… and the dancing wasn’t helping. Normally his back pain was a constant source of irritation, but tonight he thanked it for the excuse.

“Oh. Do you need to sit down?”

“Yeah. I think… that’d probably be best.” He chewed his lip. “Sorry. About the dancing.”

“Hey, no biggie.”

Prompto escorted him this time. Several people greeted him by name as they moved past, but Noctis just gave them a quick wave or nod, eyes on the table, trying to ignore how warm Prompto’s palms were where they lay on his arm and back.

“Here you go, Noct,” Prompto said softly once they got there, easing him into the chair. “Need me to text Ignis?”

Noctis looked around the party, then nodded. “I think we’ve been here long enough.”

“Roger!”

He flopped into the chair next to Noctis and pulled out his phone. Noctis took the moment to look away and take a deep breath. A waiter came by with more wine and he took a glass and drained it in one gulp.

“Iggy says he’ll be here in fifteen.” Prompto looked back up at him, the concern still on his face. He lowered his voice. “Hey, uh, your back…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Noctis waved it off. “It happens all the time.”

“Uh, okay.” Prompto still looked concerned, but didn’t press. He picked up his camera instead, holding it out to Noctis.

“Want to see the shots I got earlier?”

“Sure.”

Prompto leaned in close, talking about the pictures as he flipped through them. He casually put his hand on Noctis’s knee, like he’d done the night before.

Noctis stayed quiet, and prayed for Ignis to come soon.

* * *

The ride back to the hotel was quiet, but comfortable. Prompto had the waltz from earlier stuck in his head, and he couldn’t help but hum it as he watched the lights of Gralea pass by the window. Noctis leaned back in his seat next to him, eyes drooped nearly closed. Ignis was listening to the news on the radio in the front seat, Gladio making the occasional dry comment.

The valet opened the door when they arrived, and Prompto hopped out, stretching his arms with a series of pops. Noctis got out much more slowly, and as they headed inside, Prompto noticed he was favoring one leg.

It was clear that whatever back pain Noctis had been experiencing at the ball hadn’t gone away.

“Well, I believe I’ll take my leave here,” said Ignis in the lobby, and Gladio nodded in agreement.

“If you aren’t planning on disappearing on us again, I’m gonna go hit up a bar.”

“How many girls have you picked up while we’ve been here?” Noctis asked, grinning. Gladio just shrugged his shoulders, a sly smile on his face. “Yeah, we’re staying in.” He looked at Prompto. “That alright with you?”

“Yep.”

“Then goodnight, guys.”

“See ya.”

Soon enough they were back in the penthouse. Noctis bypassed the couch, instead collapsing on the bed face first.

After a moment, he turned his head to look up at Prompto. “So. You didn’t recognize me, but you knew Luna.”

Prompto plopped onto the bed next to him, bouncing him just a little. “Yeah, dude. After Niflheim annexed Tenebrae-”

“After it _occupied_ Tenebrae,” Noctis cut in, voice sharp. Prompto couldn’t help but wince.

“Uh, yeah. After… after that happened,” he moved on in a rush, “she became like, a celebrity here. They had her appear in kids’ shows, and do commercials, stuff like that. I came to Gralea after the war, but they still do reruns with her in them.”

Prompto could still remember the first time he’d seen her on TV. She was much younger then, but she’d been just as pretty. She’d looked at the camera and said that she hoped the war would end, and that everyone would know peace. That everyone struggling would soon be happy.

Maybe it was silly, but those words had resonated with him.

“Hm.” Noctis’s face was drawn in clear disapproval. “You know she didn’t want to do any of that stuff, right? She was a political prisoner.”

“Oh. Uh, yeah.” Prompto deflated a bit. He’d never thought of it like that, but… “But I guess that’s better than what they could have done to her, right? Letting her be on TV and stuff…?”

“They killed her mother and took her country. Nothing they did to her was okay.”

“Oh. Uh. Sorry…” Prompto looked away, chewing his lip. “I didn’t mean to imply… I guess I just hadn’t thought about it.”

Noctis was quiet for a moment, then he sighed, turning his face to the other wall.

“It’s fine. You grew up in Niflheim, right? Who knows what they taught you guys…”

“...Yeah.” Prompto heaved his own sigh. “Our government… they always want the citizens to believe what they’re doing is just.”

The silence that filled the room this time was heavy and oppressive. Prompto didn’t like it - didn’t like the way it settled over both of them, cold and empty.

He cast around for something to say, anything to lighten the mood.

He blurted out the first thing he could think of.

“Do you want a massage?”

That actually got Noctis to look back at him, a little surprised. “Huh?”

“It’s just, you said your back was hurting, and it seems like it’s _still_ hurting.” He wiggled his fingers. “I’m not half-bad at it, you know. If you want to try.”

Noctis twisted to look at him more fully. “You give massages? Often?”

“Usually I charge extra, but since you’re paying for the full package already…”

“...Yeah. Alright.” Noctis got up and started to shrug out of his jacket. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Then strip.” Prompto hopped to his feet. “Do you have oil or anything?”

“There’s probably some in the bathroom. Ignis thinks of everything.”

“On it.”

He scrambled into the bathroom, searching in the medicine cabinet and then under the sink. Lo and behold, there was indeed some massage oil - Ignis was a wise man, indeed.

He returned with a skip to the bedroom, grinning. “Found it. Iggy really _does_ think of everything...”

He trailed off at the sight of Noctis splayed out on the bed, back up, his head pillowed on his folded arms. His muscles, free of his clothes, were lean and long, his skin unblemished… except for the scars that marred his lower back, faded but still there, like the afterimage of lightning.

He’d caught a glimpse of them here or there while they were having sex, he realized, but he hadn’t thought about it, hadn’t really _looked_.

He couldn’t help but think that even this part of Noctis was beautiful. Like all of him had been hand-crafted by the Astrals.

Noctis looked up, caught him staring.

“...Pretty ugly, huh?”

Prompto nearly laughed at the absurdity of that statement. “No. Not at all.”

He came over to the bed, reaching out and trailing his fingertips over the scars with a feather light touch.

“Is this why your back was hurting?”

“Yeah. It’s usually not so bad, unless I spend a lot of time on my feet.”

Prompto lifted his hand, then slid over top of Noctis, kneeling over his thighs. “Do you mind if I ask what happened?” he said as he poured oil into his palm.

“...Niflheim tried to assassinate me, when I was a kid.”

Prompto’s hands froze above his shoulders. “Oh.” Then he shook himself, and started to massage, beginning at Noctis’s shoulder blades. “I’m sorry.”

“S’fine. Not your fault.”

“Yeah, but… it was my country that did it.”

“Hey, you were just a kid too, then. It’s not like you were a soldier.”

Prompto chewed his lip, but kept kneading Noctis’s soft skin. “Still… I’m sorry that happened.”

“...That’s how me and Luna met. Dad took me to Tenebrae, hoping the Oracle could heal me. I was in a wheelchair, then.” Noctis gave a little shrug. “They didn’t have time to heal me all the way, because…” He trailed off. Another shrug. “Anyway. They probably saved me from being permanently paralyzed. And Luna played with me every day.”

“Sounds like you and Lady Lunafreya are pretty close,” said Prompto, letting a little teasing tone slide into his voice - trying to steer the conversation to something happier. “Are you two… you know?”

“Me and Luna? Hah. No way.” Noctis shifted, grunted when Prompto hit a particularly sore spot. “I mean… okay, maybe I kind of thought that, when we were kids. She was my first real friend, and she was pretty, and she’s a princess and I’m a prince. I thought it was obvious that we would get married, when we got old enough.”

“Aww, that’s so cute.” Prompto chuckled. “Puppy love.”

“Shut up,” Noctis mumbled into the mattress.

Prompto laughed again. “But you aren’t interested now?”

Noctis was quiet for a moment. “...We wrote to each other, while she was being held captive. We had a journal we passed back and forth. We had to keep our communications pretty short, in case it ever got intercepted, but it kept us close through the years.” He sighed. “But, you know. Kids grow up. When we met again, after the war… we were different people. We both knew that.”

Prompto nodded slowly. “Yeah. I get it.”

“It’s cool though. She’s my best friend. We’re happy just like we are.” Noctis chuckled. “Maybe if Dad gets sick of me taking my sweet time to find a consort he’ll arrange a marriage for me, and if it was to Luna that wouldn’t be too bad. Better than some naggy noblewoman.” A shrug. “But she’s doing her own thing, you know? She loves being the Oracle. I wouldn’t stop her.”

Prompto worked his hands further down Noctis’s back. “You guys really are best friends. Now I feel even worse about lying to her.”

Noctis barked out a laugh. “I promise that she’ll be fine. She has better things to do than keep track of my love life.”

“She seemed happy that you were seeing someone, though!” Prompto sucked on his cheek. “Has there been anyone else? Besides Luna.”

Noctis was quiet for a long stretch. Then, “No one important.”

Prompto dug into the kinks in his lower back. “Well, I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually! And hey, if you ever need a fake date in Gralea again, I know someone who’s pretty good at the part.”

Noctis snorted. “I might have to take you up on that.”

“You know where to find me!”

“I have no idea where to find you. This city is a hellish labyrinth.”

Prompto laughed. “I’ll draw you a map.”

This time the silence that enveloped them was much warmer, and Prompto started to hum the waltz again, quietly, as he kneaded and rubbed Noctis’s muscles. The minutes stretched on, the moon rising higher outside the window.

“You know… you really are good at this,” muttered Noctis after awhile, and Prompto grinned.

“Be sure to leave me a good review.”

“Sure.”

It wasn’t much longer before Prompto was satisfied with the way Noctis felt when he smoothed the skin of his back - no more knots or tight muscles. He grinned, leaning up toward Noctis’s head.

“So, were you wanting a happy ending, or…”

He trailed off, realizing that Noctis’s eyes were closed and he was snoring lightly. Ah.

Prompto bent down and pressed a soft kiss between his shoulder blades.

_Well, this ending is happy enough._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompto: Have you considered... wealth redistribution?  
Noctis: Godsdamn it Prompto can you at least save it until we're in the car??


	5. Chapter 5

Waking up before noon wasn’t a common experience for Prompto these days, but he was thinking he could get used to it as he roused from bed and watched the sun rise between the skyscrapers of Gralea.

Like he had the morning before, he made coffee, but this time he walked out onto the balcony, enjoying the crisp air and the sounds of the city waking up below him. Already people were leaving the hotel and getting into cars, windshield wipers swiping away fog on the glass. Prompto had to grab his new camera and take a few pictures, marveling over how clear the shots were.

The door to the penthouse opened and he whirled around, his heart jumping into his throat - but it was just Gladio, who raised a hand in greeting before helping himself to the coffee Prompto had made. He sauntered over to the bedroom door to look in on Noctis, then headed for the balcony. Prompto was immensely glad he’d put on a shirt and some boxer shorts.

“I see His Royalness is still asleep,” said Gladio by way of greeting. He sank into one of the chairs, gulping his coffee.

“It seemed like his back was really bothering him last night.”

Gladio shook his head. “This is why I try to get him to exercise more.” He eyed Prompto. “Guess he told you how he got that way?”

“Uh, yeah…”

“He’ll be alright. He just has to sleep it off.”

“That’s why I came out here.” He waved the camera. “Thought I’d take some pictures, too.”

“Noct says you’re pretty good at that.”

Prompto felt his cheeks heat. “He’s just being nice.”

Gladio shrugged. “Noct’s not really the type to give empty compliments. Not when he likes you, anyway.”

Prompto didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything. Instead he went back to looking out over the city, taking pictures of the cars and people below.

“How about you, Prompto? Do you work out?” Gladio asked after he finished his coffee, and Prompto lowered his camera again.

“I run! Or, I try to, but I don’t have a lot of time for it anymore…” He grinned, holding out his right calf for Gladio’s inspection. “Keeps my legs in shape.”

“Yeah, I can tell. You’re a shrimp, but you have a runner’s legs.” He got up abruptly. “You have time right now, right? Come on a run with me.”

“Oh, uh…” Prompto followed after him, glancing into the bedroom. Noctis was still out like a light. “Is it okay…?”

“It’s cool. But you’ll need to change.” Gladio smirked. “Unless you plan to run in your boxers.”

“R-right.”

Suddenly glad he’d thought to buy some athletic wear at the store yesterday, Prompto hurried into the bedroom for his clothes. Noctis managed to stay asleep through his shuffling around - feeling like he couldn’t just disappear with no explanation, Prompto grabbed a pad of paper with the hotel’s branding and left him a note. Gladio looked amused by this, but didn’t say anything.

“You should show me some of the local spots while we’re running,” he said as they rode the elevator down. “I hate feeling like a tourist.”

“Uh, sure. We can go south. That’s around where I live.”

“Works for me.”

They made it to the lobby. The doorman nodded to them as they went by.

Then they were out on the street, and Gladio was already off.

“Try to keep up!” he tossed over his shoulder, and Prompto watched him for a moment, flabbergasted, before his brain caught up with his body and he started running.

“Wait! I’m supposed to be leading you! Gladio!”

* * *

The further south they went, the more the posh and gilded structures of the high class district melted into industrial factories, old mom and pop shops, and apartment complexes with laundry hung in the alley. Gladio enjoyed this kind of scenery; it felt more raw, more real, than the façade put up for the tourists and the bankers downtown. They weaved between kids trotting off to school for morning sports practice and people in uniform on their way to their seven-o-clock shifts. They jogged past an honest-to-gods old bakery that was in full swing, and Gladio indulged in the smell before it was crowded out by gasoline and garbage.

Yeah, any city was definitely at its best like this.

Next to him, Prompto was quick to point out interesting places, with the ease and familiarity of someone who walked the streets every day (or night, as it were). “That bakery we passed has great sandwiches, cheap, too… Oh, and over there’s the old playhouse, they mostly host local bands these days but it gets crowded on weekends… I love checking out that antique store, you can find some crazy stuff there…”

Gladio was impressed at how well Prompto was able to keep up, even as the miles wore on. For all that he looked like Gladio could snap him in half between his fingers, he’d kept pace without faltering.

They were nearing a small neighborhood park when Gladio decided they’d gotten far enough from the hotel and slowed to a stop. Prompto put his hands on his knees, panting.

“Whew! You’re really serious about your workouts, huh, big guy?”

“That’s what you have to do to be the “big guy.”” Gladio grinned, slapping Prompto on the back. He flailed his arms to keep from tumbling forward. “Good job keeping up. I’m almost impressed.”

“Yeah, well, this was more exercise than I’ve had in awhile.” Prompto wiped the sweat off his brow, then straightened up. He was smiling, big and sincere, even as he panted.

“Let’s take a break, then we’ll head back,” said Gladio, and Prompto nodded in agreement. “You know a place we can get something to drink around here?”

“Yeah, there’s a corner store right across the street.”

“Cool.”

It was an old school bodega, complete with cat, who Prompto immediately gravitated toward. Gladio scanned the fridges in the back, looking over the selection of sports drinks; there were the big brands he was familiar with, but a few he’d never heard of, unique to Niflheim. Feeling adventurous, he grabbed one of the unfamiliar drinks off the shelf, then turned back to Prompto.

“What flavors do you like?”

“Anything citrusy is fine.”

Gladio grabbed a lemon/lime in the same brand and carried both to the counter. Prompto abandoned the cat to join him, but Gladio tossed enough bills down to cover both before he could do anything.

“You don’t have to-”

“Don’t worry about it.”

They carried their drinks out to the park across the street, Prompto flopping into the grass. He guzzled half of his almost immediately, while Gladio took more measured sips over him.

“I’m not usually awake at this time,” Prompto said after a while, leaning on his knees as he looked over the street. “Or if I am, I’m on my way home to fall in bed. The city… feels different, in the morning.”

“All cities feel different at different times. Mornings are nice, though. Still. Good time for reading.”

Prompto looked up at him. “You read?”

Gladio grinned. “Surprised?”

“Uh, you just… don’t really seem like the type?”

“So because I like working out, I can’t enjoy books? Hmph.” Gladio shook his head, but he was still grinning. “Let go of your stereotypes, kid.”

“Hah, yeah. Guess I should.” Prompto ran a hand through his hair. “What kind of books do you like?”

“Little bit of everything. I’ve been into historical fiction, lately. You ever read _Silence of Knowledge_?”

“I don’t really do a lot of reading.”

“You should check it out. They’re pretty good.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to remember.”

They finished their drinks, Gladio tossing both bottles into a nearby recycling bin. He looked around and spotted a public restroom down a path in the park.

“I’m gonna take a leak.” He nodded his head at the restroom. “You need anything?”

“I’m good.” Prompto stretched out in the grass. “I’ll just wait here.”

“Alright.”

* * *

After he washed his hands, Gladio paused to pull out his phone and make sure no emergencies had arisen while he was away. No calls and no alerts so Noctis was likely still alive, but there _was_ a text from Ignis.

> I hear you’ve taken Prompto running this morning.
> 
> yep. he’s actually keeping up with me. princey could learn a thing or 2 from him
> 
> Just be sure to have him back within the hour. He has an engagement today.
> 
> yeah yeah
> 
> ?how’d noct react when he woke up and his boytoy was gone
> 
> Minimal pouting.

Gladio couldn’t help but laugh at that.

> don’t worry i’ll have blondie back before he can get jealous
> 
> I think it may be too late for that.

Gladio laughed again, sending a grinning emoji to Ignis before locking his phone and sliding it in his pocket. He knew Ignis was concerned about where this arrangement Noctis had with Prompto was going, but he didn’t really see the big deal. Gladio’s job was to protect his body, and Ignis’s job was to protect his reputation. Neither of them were supposed to protect his heart.

And even if it did end up broken, Gladio felt like this was good for Noctis. He’d spent too much of his life walling himself off from people, giving up on relationships before they really got started, letting one bad experience scare him away from trying again. If this deal with Prompto accomplished nothing else, at least it might help Noctis see that putting himself out there was worth the effort.

Gladio would be content with even that small step. Not that he’d ever tell Noctis himself, but he worried about him, sometimes more than he liked to admit.

But there was no time for thoughts like that now, when there was running to be done. Gladio checked his hair one last time in the mirror, then sauntered out of the restroom.

He stopped soon after, frozen on the path. There was a man with Prompto.

Prompto had gotten to his feet, his arms folded against his stomach. He wasn’t comfortable around this guy, that much Gladio knew for certain, and it triggered his protective instincts. He inched closer, observing the situation.

Their conversation carried to him through the clear morning air.

“...thought Aranea told you to buzz off.”

“I don’t see Highwind around, do you?” the man asked, swiveling this way and that like whoever they were discussing might pop out of the bushes. He was grinning at his own joke. “Looks like you’re alone.” His eyes trailed up and down Prompto slowly. “Where’d you get these nice duds, Prom?”

“That’s not any of your business,” Prompto snapped, even as he raised his arms higher on his chest, self-consciously covering the logo.

“Come on, Prom, let me in on the secret. You got a sugar daddy?” Prompto said nothing, and he laughed, slapping Prompto on the arm. Prompto winced at the contact. “Damn, you _did_, didn’t you? One of my girls said she saw you gettin’ in a reeeaaal nice car on Seventh Street a few nights ago.”

“That was just a client’s. I got these clothes second hand.”

“No way you got labels like that second hand. You’ve been hooking up with some real uptown types lately, haven’t you?” He leaned closer, and now he was touching Prompto’s arm again, but more gently this time, sensual strokes. “See, that’s what I need in _my_ business. Classy kids like you who can appeal to the brokers and the heiresses.”

Prompto looked like he wanted to be anywhere in the world but here, being touched by this man, and that was when Gladio decided he’d seen enough.

“Hey Prompto.” His tone was light and casual, but as he drew close to Prompto’s side, he angled his body at the man. “This guy bothering you?”

The man was startled by his appearance, especially as Gladio was almost head and shoulders over him. As he was trained, Gladio used his imposing figure to intimidate the man and gain control of the situation.

The man’s eyes grew suspicious, looking between Prompto and Gladio like he was doing calculations. “Is this where you’ve been getting the clothes? Second hand?”

“I think he told you that was none of your business,” said Gladio sharply, keeping the attention on him and off Prompto, who used that time to edge behind his back. “Now how about you keep walking before we have a problem.”

Apparently deciding he did _not_ want to have a problem with Gladio, the man held up his hands in a shrug, taking a few steps backwards. “Fine. I got somewhere to be, anyway. But you think about what I said, Prom!”

Then he turned and took off down the street, without looking back. Once he was out of sight, Prompto slid out from behind Gladio.

“Thanks for that.”

Gladio shrugged in answer. “You know that guy?”

“He’s a pimp. Uh, not mine,” Prompto added hastily. “Much as he’d like to be.”

“Does he bother you a lot?”

“No, usually Aranea deals with him.”

There was that name again. Gladio frowned. Something about it felt familiar... “Aranea?”

“Yeah. She’s my landlord.” Prompto grinned. “She’s terrifying. She keeps all the pimps and the other creeps away from me and the other sex workers that live in her building.”

“Huh.” He grinned back. “Sounds like my kind of woman.”

“I wouldn’t say that to her, if you want to keep your teeth.” Prompto stretched out his arms. “We should probably be getting back, right?”

“Yeah. Ignis has already texted me.” Gladio rolled his eyes, and Prompto chuckled.

“Alright then. Ready when you are!”

As they jogged back, Gladio turned the name over in his head. Aranea… and the pimp had called her “Highwind.”

Gladio wasn’t like Ignis - he didn’t waste time remembering the names of nobles and politicians. If a name was ringing a bell for him, it could only mean one thing: military.

He’d look into it later. For now, he had to get Prompto back before Ignis blew a gasket.

* * *

“You’re back.”

Gladio snorted, and Noctis glared. He hadn’t meant for it to come out quite so relieved.

“We were just getting some fresh air and exercise.” Gladio slapped Prompto on the back, almost knocking him over. “We had fun, didn’t we, blondie?”

“We did.” Prompto stumbled into the penthouse, sweaty but grinning. “It’s been awhile since I got a workout like that!”

“Wanna come with us next time, Noct?”

“Yeah, no thanks. I’ll leave that to you two.” Noctis backed away, gesturing at the table. “I ordered you some breakfast.”

“Oh! Thanks!”

Prompto enthusiastically sat at the table and started to load up his plate. Noctis had tried to get all his favorites, which was most of the menu; he knew Ignis disapproved of the room service charges he was racking up, but he couldn’t bring himself to care when he watched Prompto nearly glowing over the food.

“Don’t spend too long on breakfast,” admonished Ignis from where he was seated at the bar, eyes on his laptop screen. “You need to get ready soon.”

“Get ready?” Prompto asked around a mouthful of pancake.

“Yeah. We’re going to the chocobo races today.”

Prompto swallowed, his face lighting up in a big smile. “Chocobo races?”

Noctis smiled back. “You like chocobos?”

“Dude, who _doesn’t_ like chocobos?”

Noctis couldn’t argue with him there. “Have you ever been to the races here?”

“Just the cheap seats a few times.”

“Well this time you’re going to the VIP clubhouse.” Noctis leaned back in his chair. “They even let you pet the chocobos.”

Prompto stuffed the rest of his food in his mouth and downed his whole glass of orange juice at once before getting up from his chair. “I’ll get ready now!”

Noctis laughed as he watched him go, all but running for the bedroom. His merriment was interrupted by Ignis sharply clearing his throat.

“Just don’t forget your objective. Tremellius and his wife will be there today. You need to make nice with both of them if we want to be back in Insomnia by summer.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Noctis waved him off. “Nothing wrong with having a little fun, though, right?”

“In moderation.”

“I don’t believe you, Specs.” Noctis looked at Gladio for help. “Do you hear him? He hounds me about getting a date, and now that I have one he’s not happy about it.”

“You don’t have a date, you have an employee,” Ignis argued. “And I believe you sold me on this idea in part by pointing out how Prompto would not be a distraction from your duties.”

“...Right.” Noctis looked down at his plate. “He _is_ my employee. And he’s not a distraction!” He pushed some eggs around. “I’ll talk to Tremellius.”

“See that you do.”

Gladio clapped him on the shoulder as he walked past, sitting in one of the chairs and grabbing some food. “For what it’s worth, I agree with Noct. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying what you’ve got while you got it.” He shrugged, spreading some jam on a bagel. “But _I’d_ like to be back in Insomnia by summer, too.”

“End of the week. That’s the agreement.” Noctis folded his arms. “The trade deal will be done by then. You guys should trust me a little more.”

He half expected Ignis to make a snarky comment, but instead Ignis said, “Of course I trust you. I’ve already purchased our return train tickets.”

Noctis felt warmth flood his heart at the confirmation that Ignis trusted him that much, even if he felt dread, too. So it was set in stone now. At the end of the week, he’d be leaving, and Prompto would still be here.

It was as it should be. He’d known that from the start.

He got up from the table. “I’m going to get ready.”

Once in the bedroom, he could hear Prompto’s voice over the water in the shower. He was still humming the waltz from the night before.

He fished around for his earbuds and turned on the loudest song he had on his phone. It was better this way.

* * *

Gladio rode in the Regalia with Ignis to drop Noctis and Prompto off at the clubhouse, then stayed in the car as they circled back around to the security van set up in the employee parking lot. He knew at a glance they weren’t the only security van there; lots of important people were at the races today.

“You ever heard of Aranea Highwind?” he asked without preamble as they pulled up alongside the van, and Ignis turned to look at him.

“...I believe she was a high-ranking member of the Niflheim army.”

“Right. She started out as a mercenary, then entered the army as a commodore.” Gladio had looked it all up while the boys had been getting ready; as soon as he’d seen her face, he’d known why the name was familiar. “She was one of their strongest soldiers. A dragoon. She won more than a few battles for the Empire. Some people said she could take out a whole battalion by herself.”

“People exaggerate. But I remember she was a formidable foe.” Ignis frowned. “Why are you bringing this up?”

“I’ll get to it. Be patient.” Gladio grinned at Ignis’s scowl. “Here’s the weird thing about Highwind. About a month or so before the ceasefire, she suddenly retired from the army and disappeared.”

“To avoid being charged for war crimes?”

“I don’t think so.” Gladio shrugged. “Highwind was strong, but she followed the rules of engagement. Went out of her way to spare civilian enclaves, sent POWs to camps without any injuries.”

“So she was an honorable mercenary.” Ignis rolled his eyes. “Are you starting her fanclub? What is this about?”

“What it’s about is that Prompto told me she’s his landlord.”

Ignis looked less impressed than Gladio was expecting. He even sighed. “Shouldn’t you get in the van?”

“Come on, Ignis. You can’t tell me that isn’t weird.”

“What did he say to you, exactly?”

“That Aranea Highwind is his landlord.”

“And nothing else? It probably isn’t the same person.” Ignis folded his arms. “Aranea is a fairly common name in Niflheim.”

“Yeah, but _Highwind_?”

“...I admit that’s less common. But it could still be a coincidence, or an alias.”

“But if it’s not, that means she disappeared from the army to run a boarding house for sex workers. And one of those sex workers just _happens_ to be ghosting his government for unknown reasons.” Gladio frowned. “It’s fishy, that’s all I’m saying.”

Ignis looked more serious now. “Do you think he could hurt Noct?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. I get the feeling whatever’s going on, it doesn’t really have anything to do with us.” Gladio shrugged. “It’s just a coincidence that _this_ is the guy Noctis happened to take a shine to.”

Ignis slumped over the steering wheel, pushing up his glasses and rubbing at his eyes. “I never should have agreed to this. It’s going to be nothing but trouble, in the end. I should have made Prompto leave that first morning.”

“You say that now, but I know you, Ignis.” Gladio smirked again. “You like Prompto.”

Ignis looked affronted. “I do not.”

“You do. He’s like a little lost chick. Triggers your mother hen instincts.”

“I am not a mother hen,” said Ignis in the tone of one who has argued this many times. “My job is to help Noctis, and if making sure his chosen date is appropriately dressed and prepared _helps_-”

“Ba-cawk.”

Ignis aggressively hit the door unlock. “You should get in the van. Some villain has probably murdered His Highness by now.”

Gladio chuckled, climbing out of the car. “I pity any “villain” who interrupts His Highness’s date today.”

Before he could get in the van, Ignis rolled down the window and called after him, “I’ll look into it. If only to ensure His Highness’s safety.”

Gladio gave him a wave. “Sure thing, Iggy.”

“Don’t start.”

Gladio laughed as Ignis put the car in reverse and drove away.

* * *

The VIP clubhouse sat on a grassy hill overlooking the racetrack. There was a large lawn area full of picnic tables and blankets, some bleachers with comfy cushions for people who wanted a higher seat, and a patio with a full bar. Inside was a restaurant and other entertainment like pool tables and televisions, though waiters walked around the lawn, bringing food to those who wanted to sit outside and watch. And then, of course, there was the stable, full of squawking and preening chocobos, that Prompto fixed his eyes on as soon as they arrived.

“This is _way_ better than the cheap seats.”

Noctis grinned, placing a hand on his back to lead him. “Come on. We’ll grab a blanket, then go check out the birds.”

Prompto walked where he led, giddy with excitement, camera clutched between his fingers. He was wearing a yellow polo top and light khakis, new loafers on his feet, but even if he had been in pitch black he would have been lit up like sunshine. Noctis felt like he had to squint at him to save his eyesight.

A waiter (who clearly recognized Noctis) approached them and tried to usher them to a table, but Noctis waved her off and claimed a blanket instead, laid out in the shade with a full view of the track below. It felt more casual like this, like they really were just here to enjoy the chocobos, not to smooze some politicos.

They ordered sandwiches and drinks, then Noctis grabbed Prompto’s hand and gestured toward the stable.

“You ready?”

“Am I ever.”

“Let’s go.”

A few people greeted him as they went, and he paused only briefly to wave hello or shake a hand, eyes fixed on their destination. Ignis would be annoyed with him if he knew, but Prompto wanted to see chocobos, so by gods, Noctis was going to get him to see chocobos.

It was worth it - when they got there, Prompto stood mouth agape, like he’d fallen in love at first sight.

Noctis approached the first chocobo stall in the line, where an orange chocobo (named Gingersnap based on the little placard) was leaning curiously out of the stall, watching them with a cocked head. Prompto followed him slowly, looking like he didn’t know what to do with his hands.

“I’ve never actually seen a chocobo this close,” he admitted, and Noctis looked back at him, surprised.

“Wait, really? Never?”

“Not a lot of chocobos in the city,” Prompto said with a self-conscious laugh.

“Well, now’s your chance.” Noctis got closer, holding up a hand to the curious bird, who trilled and leaned her beak into his palm. “Want to pet her?”

“Are we allowed to?”

“That’s literally what I’m doing right now.” Noctis gave the chocobo’s feathers a few quick strokes with his palm.

“Well _yeah_, but you’re a prince! No one is going to stop _you_!”

“Just get over here, dummy.”

Prompto huffed, a little pout on his lips, but it instantly faded when he came closer and petted the chocobo, that awed expression back on his face.

“It’s soft,” he said, and Noctis couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Surprised?”

“A little. I thought they would be more… feathery.”

“The feathers by their face are downy.” Noctis ran his hand down Gingersnap’s neck. “They’re a little coarser here.”

Prompto petted her neck as well, smiling when she quarked happily. “Still pretty soft. Wow.”

“Here.” Noctis broke away from Gingersnap, grabbing some gysahl greens from a nearby basket and holding them out to Prompto. “Try feeding her these.”

Prompto held out the greens, laughing as Gingersnap gobbled them up. She immediately started pecking at Prompto’s shirt as though looking for more, and he laughed again, twirling in time with her tugs.

“She wants more.”

“If we feed her too many she won’t be able to race later.”

“Aww, sorry, girl.” Prompto patted her head. “If you were _my_ chocobo, I’d give you all the snacks you could eat.”

She quarked again and leaned into his palm. Prompto couldn’t stop smiling.

* * *

They made their way down the line of stalls after that, stopping to pet each chocobo and learn their names. Some of them had signs asking guests not to feed them, but for the rest Prompto was quick to feed them a green or two. By the end it was clear he had made quite a few feathery friends, pictures of each of them filling his camera.

Noctis was just about to suggest they return to their blanket when he heard a voice call out to him.

“My, my, Your Highness! I wasn’t expecting to see you here today.”

Noctis whirled in surprise. “Uncle Ardyn!?”

The man bowed at the waist, tipping his hat as he went. “In the flesh.” Despite the growing heat of the spring day, he was wearing his long coat and suit as usual. As he raised back to his full height, he smiled warmly at Noctis.

“You didn’t tell me you would be in Gralea.” Noctis approached him, grinning. “We could have met up for lunch or something.”

“I knew you were busy. It wouldn’t do for me to get in your way.”

“You’re not in my way.” Noctis shook his head, then looked over his shoulder at Prompto, who was hanging back. “We’re actually making good progress on the trade deal.”

“That’s excellent to hear. But who is this we?”

“Oh, uh…” Noctis hesitated suddenly. He hadn’t intended on introducing Prompto to any of his family (what if it got back to his dad, and his dad expected to meet Prompto too?), but he’d shot himself in the foot without even realizing it.

Knowing there was no way he was going to get around it, Noctis waved him over.

“Uncle Ardyn, this is Prompto. Prompto, this is Ardyn Lucis Caelum, my uncle.”

“His _great_-uncle,” Ardyn corrected, looking amused. He held out a hand, which Prompto shook. “It’s so nice to meet you, Prompto.”

“Nice to meet you!”

“But now you must tell me what _this_ is,” said Ardyn playfully, gesturing back and forth between the two of them, and Noctis groaned, putting his face in his hands. This was exactly what he _didn’t_ want.

“It’s _not_ anything.”

“We’re keeping it casual,” Prompto chimed in. “Noctis doesn’t have a lot of time in the city, but we thought it would be more fun if we went to a few of these events together instead of alone.”

Noctis lowered his hands and tried to send his thanks to Prompto with his eyes. That was the perfect response - this was why he hired a _professional_.

Ardyn seemed to accept that answer. “I see. I hope my nephew isn’t giving you too much trouble.”

“Not at all.” Prompto rested an arm around Noctis’s waist, pulling them in closer. Noctis felt his face heat. Now he wasn’t helping at all! “I’ve enjoyed being with him.”

“So I can tell.” Ardyn looked over Prompto thoughtfully. “Excuse me, but have we met somewhere before?”

Noctis was startled - how could his uncle have met Prompto? He felt Prompto’s arm tense behind him, clearly wondering the same thing.

“N-no, I don’t think we have!”

“Really? Because you look awfully familiar…”

“I get that a lot.” Prompto shrugged. “I just have one of those faces, I guess!”

“Ah… forgive this old man. My memory isn’t what it used to be.” Ardyn shook his head. “Promise me you’ll never grow old, nephew.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“Good.” He nodded at them. “Well, I’ll make my leave now. I’m sorry for the intrusion.” He winked at Noctis. “Come visit me once you’re back in Insomnia, Your Highness. I’d love to hear all the details about… this.”

“There is no _this_!” Noctis protested, but Ardyn was already gone, slipping away into the crowd with a hand raised in parting. He sighed, rubbing his temple with his fingers.

“Your uncle seems, uh… nice?”

“He’s always been like that.” Noctis waved it off. “I guess every family has to have a weird uncle, though, right?”

“Hah, well, that’s what I hear.” Prompto scratched his nose, and suddenly Noctis felt very awkward.

“Hey, let’s go see if they’ve brought our food,” he said, quickly redirecting the conversation, and Prompto grinned and grabbed his hand.

“Sure. Let’s go!”

* * *

The mood lightened back up as the two of them ate, watching the chocobos race along the track below. Soon after, Noctis spotted Tremellius, and left Prompto to go talk to him.

Prompto was content to sit on their blanket, taking pictures of the scene around him, but the peace was soon broken by a shadow falling over him.

“Excuse me!”

The voice behind him was cheery - a little _too_ cheery. He looked up to find three young women standing behind him, all staring at him with ill-disguised disdain.

His heart jumped into his throat. What had he done _now_?

Still, he had a part to play, so he smoothly got to his feet, smiling at them. If these were friends of Noctis’s, he’d do well to be polite.

“Can I help you?”

“You’re here with Prince Noctis, aren’t you?” asked the middle girl, the one who had spoken to him first. She held out a delicate, gloved hand for him to kiss, which he did.

“Yes. I’m Prompto. And you are…?”

“Talia Modesto,” she said, and when that name didn’t seem to strike any bells for him, she added, “My father is the Lucian ambassador to Niflheim.”

Prompto wondered if he should be impressed by that. “Oh. Nice to meet you.”

“Are you _really_ here with Prince Noctis as a date?” asked one of the other girls.

“Yeah. He invited me.”

“Hmph. I see.” Talia was still looking down her nose at him, an impressive feat given that he was taller. “You know, we’ve always wondered why His Highness never brought a date to these outings before. _You_ being here,” her eyes traveled up and down his body contemptuously, “explains some things.”

Prompto felt a pit open in his stomach. Did this woman recognize him too? Had she figured him out? He’d already had one panic inducing incident today, with Noctis’s uncle. He could feel his palms starting to sweat.

“What do you mean?” he asked, fighting to keep the tremble out of his voice.

She flipped her hair and looked away. “I _mean_ that if I had known he played for the other team, I wouldn’t have bothered getting fixed up for him.”

Oh.

_Oh._

Now Prompto was trembling for a different reason altogether. So it wasn’t that she knew he was a sex worker, it was that she knew he was a _man_.

He was still smiling, somehow, when the response fell from his lips before he could stop it.

“Prince Noctis likes girls just fine. It must have been your personality that turned him off.”

She reeled back like she had been slapped. Behind her, her two lackeys exchanged concerned glances. Prompto just waited, still smiling, while she regained her composure. Her hands curled, and he started to think he was a few moments away from having his eyes clawed out.

“Listen here, you little _nobody_, when my _father_-”

“Calm down, Talia. Bitterness does not become you.”

Cecilia Tremellius had suddenly appeared behind them, holding a glass of wine and watching the other women with an amused smile. Talia blanched, freezing for a long moment, before finally inclining her head.

“Hello, Mrs. Tremellius.”

“Run along, now. There are plenty of other eligible young men around for you to entertain.”

Talia shot one last dirty look at Prompto before marching off with her friends in tow. Prompto watched them, finally letting out the breath he’d been holding. His legs felt like jelly under him.

“Thanks, Cecilia. I wasn’t sure what she was about to do.”

“Talia’s a bitch, and she’s had her sights set on Prince Noctis for awhile.” Cecilia shrugged. “Not surprised she came over to harass you. But you should learn to stand up for yourself.”

“Hah…” _That’s what Aranea always tells me…_ “I’ve heard that before.”

“But the lesson hasn’t sunk in.” She laughed, holding out her arm. “Here. Walk with me.”

He took it, and she led him to the fence, away from the other people on the lawn. Once there, she leaned her arms over the top rail, looking down at the track.

“...I convinced my husband to agree to Prince Noctis’s trade deal. There are some details for them to hammer out, but it’s essentially complete.”

“Oh! That’s good.” Prompto blinked. “Wait, ah, you convinced him?”

“Yes. My husband loves being in power, but he’s not exactly great at the job.” She looked at him, smiling. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

“Who, me? I didn’t do anything.”

“Mmhm. You said that before.”

She took another sip of her wine, looking out over the track. After a moment, she pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her purse, and like before, Prompto lit it for her.

“The two of you make a good team,” she said after a moment. “If Prince Noctis has any sense, he’ll snatch you up now before someone else does.”

“Snatch me up? You mean…”

“Marriage.”

Prompto could feel his face turning bright red. “Oh, no, I couldn’t- I mean, Noct and I, we’re-”

“Casual?” she said with a smirk. He grit his teeth.

“Y-yeah.”

“Well, judging by the way things are going, you’ll be _formal_ by the time he leaves Niflheim.”

“Ah, no, I don’t think that will happen.” Prompto looked down. “Besides, doesn’t he need to marry a woman, for, uh… heirs?”

“This is the modern era, Prompto. We have ways to take care of that.” She waved her hand. “As much as Talia might pout, she’d be the first in line to be a surrogate for the royal kid. All the fame, none of the actual responsibility of being queen.”

“Oh. Guess that’s a good point.”

Cecilia regarded him. “But is that the only thing you’re worried about?”

“...No.” He shrugged. “Noct and I come from totally different worlds.” _And he didn’t pick me. He hired me._

“So do my husband and I.” Prompto said nothing, and Cecilia laughed. “Bad example?”

“Maybe a little?”

She drained her wine glass. “Well, still. Sometimes coming from different worlds can be a good thing. You’ll give each other a fresh perspective.”

A fresh perspective… Prompto couldn’t say that it didn’t make sense. But still, the words rang hollow. There were some gaps that simply couldn’t be closed.

“...Sounds like too much of a fairytale ending for me.”

He must have looked pretty depressed, because Cecilia didn’t say anything until she finished her cigarette. Then she crushed it under her heel and looked out over the track.

“Hey, cheer up.” She winked at him. “Let’s make an irresponsibly large bet on a chocobo. That always makes _me_ feel better.”

Prompto laughed, a little uneasy. “I guess… seems like a waste, though.”

“Oh? And what would you rather do with it?”

“Maybe give it to charity…?”

Cecilia shook her head. “See what I mean? Fresh perspective.” Then she pointed out at the starting stalls, at a blue chocobo.

“Fine. Pick your bird. If it beats mine, I’ll donate that money to the charity of your choice.”

He grinned, leaning forward for a better look at the chocobos. “Now that’s a bet I can get into.”

* * *

His conversation with Secretary Tremellius went on longer than Noctis would have liked, but the discussion was positive overall. It seemed like Tremellius was willing to meet Lucis’s demands; there were a few finer points to discuss, but everything seemed on track to be finished by the end of the week. His staff could take over from there, and he could return to Lucis.

And Prompto would stay here.

Noctis tried not to dwell on that point too long. He’d always known this was the way it was going to end. Better to just accept it and move on.

Once he finally broke away from Tremellius, he went back to his blanket, but found Prompto nowhere in sight. He looked around but didn’t spot him on the lawn or the patio, so he headed toward the chocobo stable, thinking he might have gone to see the birds again.

Just as he was rounding the corner to the next line of stalls, he heard his uncle's voice.

“Nephew! Do you have a moment.”

He stopped, turning back to Ardyn with a nod. “Yeah. I was just looking for Prompto, though…”

“Actually, Prompto was what I wished to speak to you about.” Ardyn drew level with him, then gestured toward a more secluded part of the stable. “Let’s get some privacy.”

Noctis frowned, unsure, but followed him. Once they were out of earshot of anyone else, Ardyn turned back to him.

“Nephew, forgive me, but I have to ask: how did you meet Prompto?”

“Uh…” Noctis cast his mind back, trying to remember what excuse he’d given Luna. “We… met a few nights ago. I got lost and he gave me directions.”

“So entirely by chance, you mean?” Ardyn frowned. “Don’t you find anything about that strange?”

“...Strange?”

“I say this out of concern for you, as the Crown Prince, and as my darling nephew. This Niflheim boy shows up out of nowhere, and manages to charm you as he has. And, just now, I saw him chatting quite familiarly with Cecilia Tremellius.”

“Oh, that.” Noctis waved it off. “I took him with me to dinner with them, that’s all.”

“There’s also the fact that he seems very familiar to me, even though I can’t place him.” Ardyn shook his head. “Forgive me for casting doubts on his character, but are you sure he isn’t… up to something?”

Noctis’s brow furrowed. “You’re asking if I think he’s… what, some kind of spy?”

“That’s one possibility.” Ardyn sighed. “I’m sure your staff has done what they can to vet this boy, but I think it might be prudent to get your father involved.”

Noctis’s mind whirled. No, he most definitely did _not_ want his dad involved. And if they thought Prompto was some kind of spy, who knew what they might do?

Noctis knew an easy way to end Ardyn’s questioning about Prompto’s motives, but he hesitated. He’d agreed, with Prompto and Ignis, not to reveal the details of their deal to anyone else. But Ardyn was _family_ \- if the truth could assuage his fears, surely it would be alright for him to know?

Ardyn would never do anything to disparage the Crown. It was okay, this time, to tell the truth.

“He’s not a spy for Niflheim. I know for sure.”

“And how do you know?”

“Because he’s a prostitute.”

Things were quiet, only the noises of the chocobos, for a very long moment. Then Ardyn laughed.

“You aren’t serious.”

“I am. He really did offer me directions, and I hired him for the night, then for the rest of the week to pretend he’s my boyfriend.”

“Really?” He looked surprised. “I never would have expected something like that out of you.”

“Yeah, well.” Noctis knew he was probably blushing. “It was… kind of a snap decision. But it’s been working out so far.”

“I see. And when this week is over…?”

“Our arrangement will be over too, and we’ll both go on with our lives.” Noctis tried to ignore how empty saying that made him feel.

Ardyn didn’t seem to notice anything, just nodding along. “Well, it’s good to know I don’t have anything to be worried about, at least.”

“No. I’m fine.” Noctis cringed. “And, uh… could you not… tell my dad?”

At that, Ardyn laughed again.

“What kind of uncle would I be, if I couldn’t keep a few secrets for my darling nephew?”

* * *

“Hey, there you are!”

Noctis reemerged from the stables alone to find Prompto jogging up to him, waving an arm. “How’d it go with Secretary Tremellius?”

“Fine. I think we’ve almost agreed on our deal.”

“Oh. That’s good!” Prompto smiled. “Then, mission accomplished?”

“Yeah.” This time, Noctis grabbed his hand. “Let’s watch a few more races before we call Ignis.”

“Sure thing!”

They went back to their blanket, settling next to each other. Prompto pressed into his arm, chattering away as he pointed out different chocobos or read their names from a guide he’d found. He stopped to take pictures often, smiling big and open, always looking back at Noctis with a sparkle in his eye.

Noctis sank into his warmth, soaking it up more than the sun, and tried to stave off the dread that was mounting in his stomach.

The end of the week, huh? The days were going to fly by.

* * *

That evening found them both in the big bathtub in the penthouse, Prompto’s legs wrapped around Noctis’s waist, Noctis’s back resting against Prompto’s chest. The air smelled sweet from the oils they’d put in the water, bubbles floating around them.

They’d been talking about so many easy, breezy things, when Noctis suddenly blurted out, “Ignis told me that you lost your parents during the war.”

He instantly felt bad for bringing up something so personal like that, when Prompto hadn’t even divulged it himself, but Prompto didn’t so much as tense under him. Instead he just swirled the water around with his fingertips.

“I did. To the vanishing disease.”

“Yeah. I heard the Starscourge got… really bad up here.”

“It did.” Prompto leaned his chin on his shoulder. “A lot of people died of it. Mostly poor people.”

Noctis sighed. “Sorry. I… shouldn’t have brought it up like that.”

“It’s okay. I don’t really remember them. It was so long ago…”

“It’s the same for me… with my mom,” said Noctis, slowly. “She died when I was a baby… I don’t remember her at all.”

Prompto pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Sorry.”

“_I’m_ sorry.” He sighed. “I didn’t mean to get all… gloomy, all of a sudden.”

“I don’t mind it.” Prompto wrapped his arms tighter around Noctis’s chest. “The way I see it, a bubble bath is the perfect time to talk about feelings.”

Noctis chuckled. “Guess I can’t argue with that.”

He leaned his head back, listening to the way Prompto’s next words reverberated through his chest.

“What about your dad?”

“What about him?”

“I mean… he’s still around, right?”

“Yeah.” Noctis pursed his lips. “_Around_ is about all you can say.”

“...I guess, being the king is pretty busy, huh?”

“Hah. Yeah. I guess so.”

Noctis turned in Prompto’s arms, pressing their chests together, resting his head in the crook of Prompto’s neck.

“...After Mom died, it was just me and him, and whatever nanny they had for me. I remember when they used to let me sit in his lap in meetings. And I remember when they started telling me I was too old to do that.”

“Man...”

Noctis sighed, closing his eyes. “I used to pray all the time, to every Astral, for the war to end. It was draining the very life out of my dad. He had to use all his power to keep the wall up, to keep Insomnia safe. He was barely getting any sleep, spending all his time in meetings, working round the clock to keep the country thriving. I thought if it could all be over, I could just… have my dad back.”

“And then? After the war?”

Noctis pulled back from Prompto, looking down at the bubbles swirling in the eddies between them.

“Turns out ruling a country in the aftermath of a war… is just as taxing as ruling a country during one.”

Prompto reached up and ran a hand through Noctis’s hair. It was comforting, and Noctis leaned into it despite himself.

“I’m sorry,” said Prompto, and his voice sounded sincere. “I guess being royalty isn’t all fun and games, huh?”

Noctis laughed, but it came out more thick and broken than he would have liked. “No. It’s not.” He reached up and swiped at his eyes, ignoring how that only got his face more wet, then looked at Prompto. “But enough about me and my problems. What happened to you, after the war?”

“Hmm…” Prompto used the touch on Noctis’s head to guide him back into his chest. “I was brought to Gralea and put in a foster home. There were so many kids looking for families, and I was a teenager by then…” Prompto shrugged. “I knew I was going to be stuck there. And that place _sucked_. So one day I just… ran away.”

“You… ran away?” Noctis didn’t feel all that surprised, but it was still hard, thinking of Prompto, sweet and sunshiney Prompto, out on the street because he thought no one would adopt him. “Where did you live? What did you do?”

“Well, I knew if I went to a homeless shelter they’d just ship me back to an orphanage. So I mostly got by sleeping in parks and alleys. I learned the places you can go where the cops won’t bother you.”

“That sounds rough,” Noctis muttered, thinking of his own whining about his father just now. Gods, he must have sounded like a complete asshole…

“It was okay!” Prompto assured him, a bit _too_ upbeat. “I could get food at soup kitchens, and sometimes people around the neighborhood would give me little jobs to do for some money. But, sometimes it was hard… I’ve been in my fair share of dumpsters.” He laughed, self-consciously. “That’s… how Aranea found me, actually.”

“Aranea?”

“Yeah, she’s my landlord! She takes in people like me - people who don’t have anywhere else to go. When she found me, she offered me a room in exchange for running deliveries for her. She really saved me, when I think back on it...”

“So you found a safe place to live. I’m glad.”

“Yeah.” Prompto was smiling, softly, at the talk of his home. Noctis watched it, enraptured. “But after awhile, I started to want more money, so I could support myself. One of the girls at the boarding house took me under her wing, and, well…” He shrugged again. “Here I am.”

Noctis had so many questions about that, but he also wasn’t sure how many of them would be rude or offensive. He was curious, but he didn’t want Prompto to feel bad, either. Like Noctis was looking down on him for his job.

Finally, he landed on what he felt was the safest question he could think of. “Do you like it?”

“Do I like sex work?” Noctis nodded, and Prompto screwed up his face, like he was in thought. “I guess it’s better than other things I could be doing… Like hunting? Kind of like all my limbs where they are.” He laughed. “But the constant threat of being arrested is a drag.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Noctis continued to study his expression. “But if you could do _anything_... what would you do?”

Prompto’s eyes held a sad sort of wistfulness as he gave Noctis a crooked smile. “Well… I guess I’d be a photographer.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Huh!?”

Noctis had blurted it out initially, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. “You have the new camera now - maybe I could get you in touch with some media guys who hire freelance photographers, you could make a portfolio, get a few gigs… It might not go anywhere, but it’s worth it to try, right?”

It sounded completely rational to Noctis, but instead of looking excited, or happy, Prompto just stared at him with that same sad wistful gaze.

Finally, he spoke.

“Rich people really do make everything sound so easy.”

Noctis jerked back in surprise, but before he could answer, Prompto had submerged under the water.

He was under there a long, long moment, and Noctis was starting to curse himself for whatever he said wrong, when suddenly he felt a twist and a tug on his dick. He yelped in a very undignified manner, and Prompto came up, laughing.

“I heard you under the water!”

“You grabbed my dick!” Noctis snapped back, but he couldn’t keep the grin off his own face.

“I noticed it was already a little perky.” He grinned, wicked. “Seems a little uncomfortable - want me to take care of that for you?”

“Hmmm… why not?”

Immediately, Prompto was on him, pulling their chests together again, his hand stroking Noctis’s cock as quickly as he could against the water tension. Noctis gasped, leaning forward and biting down on Prompto’s shoulder, hard enough to leave marks.

It was weirdly grounding, to mark Prompto up like that. He moved closer to Prompto’s neck and placed another love bite there, and Prompto moaned aloud, leaning his neck back to expose more skin.

“Ignis… will be mad if he can see these tomorrow,” Prompto cautioned him, and he laughed, pressing a kiss into Prompto’s skin.

“I don’t care what Ignis thinks.”

And with that he sucked hard, leaving a hickey on Prompto’s neck, up under his jawline. It would be visible to anyone who looked at him, and that made Noctis feel immensely satisfied.

“Your Highness,” said Prompto, with another stroke of Noctis’s dick that made him gasp. “Are you trying to claim me as your own?”

“So what if I am?”

“Then you’ll have to try harder than that.”

Noctis grinned. “Challenge accepted.”

By the time Noctis came, Prompto’s shoulders and neck were littered in little bruises and red marks, possessive touches from Noctis’s own lips and teeth. It was beautiful - _Prompto_ was beautiful, Noctis thought, as he sank into him, comfy and cozy once more.

“The water is getting cold,” Prompto protested, but Noctis just snuggled closer.

“Then warm me up.”

“We’re going to get pruney.”

“We’ll get out in a little bit.” Noctis closed his eyes. “Just stay in here with me.”

Prompto sighed, but it was contented, wrapping his arms tightly around Noctis.

“You’re the boss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time having Ardyn in a fic so I hope it's alright haha.


End file.
